1

Project Director
Daniel Alan Burrow
Gameplay Lead
Henry White
Gameplay Developers Additional Cracked Monocle Staff
Tyler Hudson, Marc Seidel Daniel Alan Burrow, executive director
Alex Whisenhunt, marketing director
Däna Schwarzlose, steampunk merchandise director
Lore Lead
Marc Seidel Contributions
Lore Developers
Ahmed Abdel-Meguid (system critiques)
Garrett Sweet, Alex Whisenhunt Aaron Brazik (writing)
Mark Fletcher (system concepts)
Tracey Glass (editing)
Art Director Amanda Longoria (concept art & creative design)
Victor G. Helton Brandon Stevens (system design)
Benjamin Vought (system design)
Artists & Illustrators
Zeeshan Waheed (system design)
Kevin Walkup (editing)
Danielle Braden, Jordan Gray Andrew Watson (lore, system design, & writing)
Character Sheet & Cartography
Alex Whisenhunt A special thanks to Larry Prinzivalli, Alan Rogers, Angie Black-
mon and the rest of the staff at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fan-
tasy® for their continued help and support.

Copyright © 2012 by Daniel Burrow, Cracked Monocle

www.CrackedMonocle.com
ISBN: 978-0-9853853-0-9 First Printing: May 2012
All Right Reserved. The reproduction of material from within this PDF for the purposes of personal or corporate
profit, by photographic, electronic, or other methods of storage and retrieval, is prohibited. This PDF is a work of fic-
tion. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cracked Monocle gives permission for printing this material for personal purposes only.

2
Foreword
Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to Tephra and the Clockwork
Roleplaying System;
Do you ever wish you could walk down the street, tipping
your hat to all of the good people you meet, enjoying the sights
and sounds of good Victorian elegance, and relishing the hiss of
steam coming from the nearby train station? If so, you’ve got a bit
of a neo-victorian in you. So let me ask a follow-up question.
Do you ever wish that the street you were walking down
included bizarre yet intellectual creatures, maybe a couple zom-
bies for flavoring, a courier standing on the street yelling about a
werewolf sighting in the forest outside of town, and, all the while, you’re on your way to see a mad tinkerer about
a fully sentient automaton he has pieced together? If so, you just may be a steampunk.
And my fellow steampunks, have I got a roleplaying game that is going to revolutionize your gaming
experience.

The steampunk genre has been on the surge for the past years. Though some say it bred out of the cyberpunk
movement of the 1980s, steampunk has seen an enormous push to the center of culture within just the past few
years. Day after day people tell me, “I wish I had known about steampunk sooner! I’ve been into this stuff all of
my life, and I only just found out there’s an actual word for it.” Oh yes, steampunk has had many dedicated and
loyal fans for years, and only now are many of us becoming cognizant of that fact.
When asked what I consider to be the most important facet of steampunk, I can without a doubt answer
the punk aspect. While the Victorian-flavored science fiction of the setting is important, the setting can only get
you so far. It is the characters that make the story, and, for it to be truly steampunk, those characters must be
daring, independent thinkers who are always willing to push forward despite the odds. Be you the lone tinkerer
attempting to piece together your newest idea, an exiled flux manipulator feared for your talents, or a dashing
swordsman always willing to defend your honor at the expense of others, you must be different. You must set
trends. You must, if I dare use the word, be a punk.
That is what the clockwork system is all about. We have built, for your enjoyment, a system without bor-
ders. There are no classes - we wouldn’t dare limit your imagination in such a way! You choose your own skills
and build your character from the bottom up. If you can imagine it, you can play it.
The system is fast-paced, intuitive, and leaves as much as possible up to you, the steampunk roleplayer.
When you sit down to play our game, in-between all of your tinkering, writing, and imagining, we want you to
live and experience the thrill of being in a steampunk world. We want you to experience the gut-wrenching ac-
tion of slipping onto a train and fighting your way to the dastardly train-jackers who have taken over the lo-
comotive. We want you to feel the pain of losing your arm, only to get it replaced with a mechanical one later,
albeit one with a hidden revolver in the wrist. We want you to concoct your most daring plans, build your craziest
contraptions, and set everything in motion.
Welcome to Tephra. Welcome to the Clockwork Roleplaying System. And welcome to the wildest adven-
ture of your life.

Daniel Alan Burrow Daniel Alan Burrow

Executive Editor of Cracked Monocle

3
 Contents
Introduction Background Stories����������������������������66 Chapter 10: The Sciences Attribute
Foreword������������������������������������������������3 Religion: Tailemy.������������������������������69 Using Sciences�����������������������������������161
Roleplaying��������������������������������������������6 Religion: Free Will������������������������������70 How Crafting Works������������������������ 162
Steampunk��������������������������������������������7 Religion: Jinzium.������������������������������ 71 Sciences Skills
Alchemy������������������������������������������164
Chapter 1: The Clockwork System Chapter 5: Gear Acids�������������������������������������������� 166
Entering the Clockwork ����������������������9 Materials����������������������������������������������72 Gases ������������������������������������������ 168
Breaking Down the Mechanism�������10 The Trust��������������������������������������������73 Medicines�������������������������������������171
Attacking��������������������������������������������� 12 Melee Weapons . . ������������������������������74 Poisons���������������������������������������� 173
How We Roll �������������������������������������� 12 Variant Weaponry����������������������������75 Armsmith �������������������������������������� 176
Actions������������������������������������������������ 13 Sidebar - Impromptu Weapons������75 Firears & Crossbows������������������ 177
Reflexive Attacks�������������������������������� 15 Firearms����������������������������������������������76 Melee Weapons & Thrown�������� 182
Fighting Out of Combat�������������������� 15 Bows����������������������������������������������������78 Bows�������������������������������������������� 189
Called Shot Locations������������������������ 16 Crossbows��������������������������������������������79 Armor������������������������������������������ 192
Attributes�������������������������������������������� 18 Armor��������������������������������������������������80 Automata���������������������������������������� 196
Resists���������������������������������������������� 18 Deflecting Items�������������������������������� 81 Steamers�������������������������������������� 197
Social Tells������������������������������������������ 19 Animals������������������������������������������������82 Fuse Boxes. . . ����������������������������202
Cover����������������������������������������������������20 Equipment������������������������������������������84 Clockworks . . ����������������������������206
Status Effects��������������������������������������22 For Sale Ads����������������������������������������86 Prosthetics. . . �����������������������������211
Battlefield Modifiers��������������������������23 Bio-Flux������������������������������������������220
Chapter 6: The Brute Attribute Essence �������������������������������������� 221
Chapter 2: Character Creation Using Brute����������������������������������������89 Bio-Zappers��������������������������������227
Making a Character����������������������������25 Brute Skills Engineer����������������������������������������234
Leveling Up��������������������������������������27 Brawl������������������������������������������������90 Vehicles ��������������������������������������236
Starting at a Higher Level��������������27 Frenzy����������������������������������������������94 Armoring������������������������������������243
Retrofitting��������������������������������������27 Overpower����������������������������������������98 Gadgetry����������������������������������������246
Resilience��������������������������������������102 Explosives ����������������������������������247
Chapter 3: Races Eyewear ��������������������������������������252
Introduction����������������������������������������28 Chapter 7: The Cunning Attribute Trinkets ��������������������������������������255
Humans ����������������������������������������������29 Using Cunning. . . ����������������������������107
Ayodins������������������������������������������������30 Cunning Skills Chapter 11: Narrating
Elves����������������������������������������������������34 Espionage��������������������������������������108 Introducing the Narrator����������������267
Farishtaas��������������������������������������������38 Expertise�����������������������������������������112 Assembling a Party��������������������������270
Gnomes������������������������������������������������42 Showmanship. . �����������������������������116 Handling the Rules�������������������������� 271
Satyrs����������������������������������������������������46 Tactical ������������������������������������������120 The Steampunk World ��������������������272
Time��������������������������������������������������274
Chapter 4: Context Chapter 8: The Dexterity Attribute Adventurer Ethics.���������������������������� 275
Introduction����������������������������������������50 Using Dexterity. . ���������������������������� 125 Adversaries & Challenges����������������276
Map of Evangless������������������������������ 51 Dexterity Skills Exploration����������������������������������������277
Evanglessians��������������������������������������52 Ace�������������������������������������������������� 126 Awards������������������������������������������������278
Dalvozzeans����������������������������������������54 Agility ��������������������������������������������130
Izedans������������������������������������������������56 Marksmanship������������������������������134 Appendices
Paldoran Exiles. . ������������������������������58 Swashbuckling������������������������������ 138 Specialty Listings������������������������������279
Zel Hauds��������������������������������������������60 Character Sheet . . ����������������������������286
Organizations Chapter 9: The Spirit Attribute Playtester Credits.����������������������������288
The Brimstones ������������������������������62 Using Spirit���������������������������������������143
The Carnival������������������������������������62 Spirit Skills
Coaldust Union.������������������������������63 Faith������������������������������������������������144
Fulbourne Society����������������������������63 Grace����������������������������������������������148
Highflyers����������������������������������������64 Luck������������������������������������������������ 152
LaVrey Agency��������������������������������64 Shamanism������������������������������������ 156
Renovators����������������������������������������65
Sons of Strife ����������������������������������65
4
 A Note to Thieves & Pirates
We understand if you felt the need to steal, pirate, or
indefinitely borrow this game from your friend, because
we are also broke, sometimes-starving kids who are just
trying to produce roleplaying games.
I forgive you... but on one condition.
You must promise to tell at least 3 people about
how awesome this game is, and you must do what you
can to get them to play it with you or pick up the book
for themselves.
If you don’t, you’re a bad person and we didn’t
want to play with you anyways.

This PDF includes all of the rules you

need in order to play; you just need a
pencil and a twelve-sided die (known as
a D12).
Character sheets are provided in the ap-
pendices for your convenience.

5
 Roleplaying
You as the Player You as the Narrator
If you’re joining us as a player, welcome to roleplaying. Did you get the bug? Did you get the urge to make
Roleplaying is a wonderful gaming experience unlike your own story, see how your friends make it through,
all other tabletop games. In many games you are giv- overcome seemingly impossible odds, and fight off that
en a character to represent, and you take that character villain that you’ve been secretly fleshing out for the past
around a board, attempting to win the game. Roleplay- year? Don’t worry, this is normal. It happens to all of
ing games take that to an extreme, then twist it. us.
You create your own character, develop their per- When you narrate, you’re given a very special
sonality and abilities, then try to act and portray them duty by the players. You are there to ensure that they are
as closely as possible. You can build them however you enjoying themselves, and that their characters are gain-
want, customize them, give them the hair you’ve always ing all of the thrills and excitements you could possibly
wanted, a dashing vest, and that enormous firearm you lend to them.
drool over in your daydreams. You give that character a If this is your first time, be prepared to have fun.
name, a back-story, and a personality. Once you’ve done That’s both advice and a fact - narrating is exciting in
that, you’re pretty well ready to begin. ways that players could never understand. It’s engag-
You join up with a couple other players, each ing, challenging, and requires a very active imagination.
with their own character. Together you become a party More so than anyone else at the table, you are helping to
of adventurers. build a story. When you take on the mantle of the nar-
Another person takes on the role of narrator. In rator, you get the pleasure of challenging your friends,
many games, this is the game master (or GM, if you rewarding them for their victories, and creating a saga
will). The narrator weaves together a story, a setting, and of great stories they’ll all remember for years to come.
other characters for you to interact with, meet, and - Sounds promising, doesn’t it?
when necessary - kill. The narrator is there to give you
a scene and let you explore it. You may start in a pub,
travel across the city, and take off in an airship to ex-
Creating the Party
plore the rumors of a clockwork monstrosity in a nearby Within Tephra, we often recommend that people play
town. After you become the hero of that town, you’ve with three to five players and a narrator. If you’re up to
only just started your saga; soon, you’ll have numerous the challenge, more or less players might be a better fit
stories under your belt, a scar or two, and a character to for you. (And yes, less than three players can be quite
be proud of. challenging, as only having a couple adventurers can
create a rather demanding game!)
If you’re having a hard time getting players, just
The Building of a Story carry this book in a public space for a couple hours. Be-
Through your roleplaying you will create a story. You fore long, you’ll have a large horde of people wanting to
will be one of the protagonists of this story, a story that play (begging probably). And, if that doesn’t work, go to
you make with a handful of other protagonist and a nar- your local gaming shop and ask them if they have any
rator who has no control over the heroes. suggestions. Most gaming stores will have places where
The art of roleplaying is getting deep into the you can post that you’re looking for players. Our favorite
character and the saga. The entire game is about you gaming stores will also have dedicated Tephra nights
being another person in this alternate reality. You will ever week. I’ll bet my sideburns they can help you get a
eventually learn what your character’s goals are, what game going or find a game for you to join.
makes your character angry, and what gives your char- Once you’ve got your group together, you’ll need
acter joy. That is roleplaying at its finest. one person to be the narrator and everyone else will
But let’s be real... there’s another part to this ro- need to make characters. Go through our fast and easy
leplaying game. You want to be awesome, and you want character creation process (over in Chapter 2), and soon
to be the best. Perfect then! This system is designed to you’ll be on board your airship, taking on zombies and
make every aspect of roleplaying fun, and that includes sky pirates with a gun in one hand and a saber clenched
challenging every person or thing you meet to a fierce between your teeth.
6 duel to the death!
Steampunk
Steampunk is one of those genres that seems to en- purely created by those who live now. A world in which
trance people as soon as they see it, something that anyone can experience an adventure. Steampunk is what
sparks their inner creativity. It appeals to our love for you make of it.
the past and the marvels of the future, combining them In Tephra, we give reasons for why these things
into a world of our own making. However, despite be- are possible. We have forsaken following Earth’s history
ing easily identifiable as you walk down the street or and instead come to land on a new world, a world in
look through a store window, defining steampunk is a which their industrial revolution took a drastically differ-
difficult task caused by the broad interpretation of what ent path than that of our own. Here, steampunk thrives
“steampunk” is. From steampunk proper to dieselpunk, in a world full of steampowered machinery, clockwork
biopunk to clockpunk and so many more, there are as creations of massive scale, entire continents of unex-
many different flavors of the movement as there are of plored wilderness and lost civilizations just waiting to
the music. That being said, there are unifying themes be re-discovered. You can hop on an airship capable of
throughout them all, so no other title can truly encapsu- crossing the world, twisting science to your own end.
late just what the word steampunk entails. It’s a world where everywhere you look, an adventure is
On the surface, steampunk is an aesthetic move- waiting to happen.
ment, one that hails back to the Victorian times and the So sure, you could define Steampunk simply by
industrial revolution, a time when the ins and outs of a the gears, leather outfits, top hats, and monocles, but it
machine could be understood and mastered by a single is so much more than that. Steampunk embodies hope,
man. A time when you could look at the inner workings creativity and adventure. Whether you draw influences
of our technology and follow the cranks, pistons and from the Wild West, Victorian England, the Colonies of
gears all the way from the boiler to the wheels. With a Africa, the Far East, or anywhere else, it is these things
curious mind, time and patience, any man could master that truly define what the genre is.
this new technology. Steampunk takes this mindset and
runs with it. As many felt during the Victorian era, in
Steampunk anything is possible!
It was also during the Victorian Era when both
man and society began to change. Following on the
heels of the Enlightenment, thousands of slaves were
freed and a middle class was established. The culture of
Colonialism was in full swing around the world; revolu-
tions were occurring that threw out old rulers, building
new governments in their stead. Everyone had a hope
for a better, brighter future.
Steampunk is more than just the aesthetics of a
proper London gentleman with his tailored coat and top
hat, and it’s more than the social reforms and explora-
tion of the Victorian era. In fact, it’s more than the past
ever was. Steampunk is looking at a world that could
have been during a time where the Victorians thought
anything was possible. Who cares that sky-pirates, in-
telligent clockwork automatons, machine-powered un-
dead, time machines and ray guns never existed? The
Victorians believed someday steampowered airships or
cannons would allow us to reach the moon. In a future
of our own creation, why can’t these other things ex-
ist just as easily? A world influenced from the past, but

7
 Chapter 1
System
Chapter 1

The Clockwork
System

8
Entering the
Clockwork

System
Chapter 1
There’s a lot of text in this book. Don’t be afraid...
it won’t take you long to start enjoying your stay.

This is a richly customizable mechanism with a variety of rules, ticking tidbits, and random
springs. Inside of this mechanism is a single clockwork movement that makes the rest of the
system function. Once you’ve seen how the basic movement works, everything else won’t seem so
daunting.

Dice & Modifiers est goes second, and so on. When it’s your turn, you’re going to
To begin, you’ll need a single die: a unique one with 12 sides. have a number of action points (AP) that you can spend.
This is the foundation for the Clockwork System, a die that can Let’s say it’s your turn, and you have 3 action points (the
randomly give you any number from 1 to 12. norm for starting characters). You could run (1 AP) and shoot
With this special die, occassionally called the D12, you’ll your rifle (2 AP). Or, you could run (1 AP), open a door (1 AP), and
be able to determine how successful you are on any given task. then duck behind a barrel (1 AP). Or, you could swing your sword
You’ll have skills, attributes, and various other traits that all have (2 AP) at somebody’s head (another 1 AP for aiming).
numbers assigned to them. When you need to determine how The options are pretty open-ended.
well you succeed at something, you’ll roll your die and add on the
appropriate number. Attributes & Skills
Rolling your Dexterity? Roll your D12, add the number As we’ve said, your character is going to have a lot of numbers
in your Dexterity attribute, and you’ve got your result. associated with him. When you build your character (found in
Chapter 2 - Character Creation), you’ll first distribute some points
Four Tiers of Success in your skills. Skills are those areas that you’ve trained in. Swash-
The game revolves around tiers - four tiers, to be exact. Once buckling, Brawl, Gadgetry, Marksmanship - these are all skills.
you’ve received the result of your die roll, you’ll be able to deter- Now, your skills are going to determine your attributes.
mine what tier it is. Attributes are the core components of your character. If you have
a total of 6 points in your Dexterity skills, your Dexterity will be
a +6.
T1 (Tier 1): Result of 1 through 9 Barely Passing
When do you use these numbers? For attributes: all the
T2 (Tier 2): Result of 10 through 19 A Solid Success time. Lifting something? Brute. Picking somebody’s wallet? Dex-
T3 (Tier 3): Result of 20 through 29 Phenomenal! terity. Trying to figure out a puzzle? Cunning.
T4 (Tier 4): Result of 30 or more Beyond Human Specialties
As you can see, tier 1 is going to be the most minimal of a suc- The most exciting part of your character is their specialties. Spe-
cess. If you’re trying to jump, all you can say is that you success- cialties are the defining aspects of your character, things that
fully jumped. Nobody takes notice up until you get to tier 2. A make them awesome. At first level, you’ll start with three, and
tier 3 is the utmost of human ability. If you’re hitting a tier 3, that you’ll choose them from your skills. When you need to make a
means you’ve just leapt a chasm. roll to determine how well you use your specialty, you’ll roll your
A tier 4? There are no words to explain a tier 4 success. skill.

Turns! Hit Points, Damage, and all that stuff

Let’s discuss combat. If you’re in a fight with somebody, you’re A lot of your statistics will be determined by the specialties that
going to take turns. You’ll begin by rolling priority. The person you select, the stories that you gain, and the race that you choose.
with the highest priority goes first, the person with the next high- But, honestly, this is all clockwork. Once you start building a
character, everything else will fall into place.

9
 Breaking down the
Mechanism
System
Chapter 1

Did the last page not explain things enough for you?
Then keep on reading.
Action Points (AP) been hit in the head, you’d resist getting a concussion with your
During your turn, you have 3 action points you can spend to move, brute attribute.
attack, or do virtually anything. Every action has an action point Likewise, attributes determine how well you interact
cost, though some are free (and, often, can be done at any time). with people and the setting. How easily you can sneak around
Refresh: Your action points refresh at the depends on your dexterity. Holding the door closed as enemies
end of your turn. So as soon as your turn ends, you try to break in requires brute. Any time you’re trying to convince
may start using reflexives that drain your next turn’s somebody of something, you’ll roll your cunning. Throughout the
action point pool. entire system, these five attributes will be keys to your character
and help him grow.
Reflexives: You can use action points reflexively. When
you’ve trained yourself so well that you can act in a split second,
that’s when you’re using your AP reflexively. Hit Points & Wounds
Reflexives are action points you can use out-of-turn. Hit points are a reflection of a character’s toughness and will-
You might have a specialty, for example, that allows you to jump power to keep on fighting. During combat, every time a character
in front of an incoming bullet for an ally (Interposition, found is successfully hit, their hit points will decrease. If all of a char-
under the Resilience skill). That specialty costs 2 action points acter’s hit points are depleted, a character begins to take wounds.
reflexively, which you may do any time an ally is being attacked. Wounds are substantial damage taken to the character’s bodily
Your reflexive action points come out of your next turn’s pool of form, such as deep gashes or wracking blows.
action points. So if you used interposition, Your hit points are determined by your specialties, and
on your next turn you’d only have 1 action Level 1 3 AP the amount of wounds you have will start at 12.
point left. Level 4 4 AP Hit points are only in effect while you’re ready for ac-
Your action point pool increases tion. When your character is asleep, in a focused conversation, or
at certain levels. You’ll find those in this Level 8 5 AP for some reason not paying attention, your hit points don’t come
chart: Level 12 6 AP into play. Any time you are hit while not prepared, the damage
goes straight into your wounds pool.
Turn Order Wounds Damage: Every time you take wounds dam-
age, your character suffers a greivous hit. When you take wounds
When combat begins, every combatant rolls their priority, creat- damage, you roll on our called shot chart and take the wound
ing a “turn order.” Everybody starts the combat with their action effect from that location. If you rolled “Left Hand,” for example,
points full, so they can start making reflexive actions right away. your hand would be smashed and you’d have a hard time grasping
The person with the highest priority roll goes first. That person anything with it.
could then use any of their action points they have, and, once
they’re done, their action points refresh. If you’re hit by an attack and you run out of wounds,
you immediately roll randomly on the called shot chart, this time
A person can never save action points for their next turn. for a fatal effect. If you rolled “Left Hand” again for the fatal ef-
When your action points refresh, they are hitting a hard reset and fect, your hand would be severed and you could never use that
going to their normal value. Any action points from your previous
turn that you did not use are wasted - so go ahead, use them!
Regaining Health
Attributes Taking a Breather: Hit points don’t take a long time to return
to you. We assume that every blow to your stamina is a small
Your attributes are the key building blocks of your character. At- scrape, bruise, or just a representation of you becoming more
tributes reflect your training in your skills and are entirely based exhausted.
off of them. Every skill falls under one of our five key attributes:
brute, cunning, dexterity, spirit, and sciences. Once you’ve select- To replenish your hit points after a battle, just take a
ed your skills, add up the skills under those attributes to get your breather. If you have time to rest for fifteen to thirty minutes
points in that attribute. after a battle, all of your hit points will be returned.
You’ll find yourself using attributes both in and out of Naturally Healing Wounds: Your wounds will return
combat. Attributes are used to resist special attacks, called shots, to you at the rate of one wound per day. Your pool of wounds
poisons, and all other manner of contraptions. If you’re being is likely to be much smaller than your hit points, and it takes
tricked, you would resist with your cunning attribute. If you’ve longer to regenerate them. Be careful when you’re in wounds.

10
hand again (unless somebody could create you a prosthetic hand). Note to the Narrator:
Though that might sound bad, if you’re unlucky enough for the
attack to land across your head, you’re fatal effect is instantaneous Awarding Stories
death.
Stories are entirely given out and taken away at your discretion.

System
Chapter 1
Once you’re out of wounds, every time you take dam-
age, you roll for a fatal effect. If you don’t feel like giving a player a Story they seem to meet
the requirements of, you are fully able to simply ignore them
and not give it to them. At the same time, Stories make adven-
Priority tures that much more exciting. A player can go up to another
Priority determines your turn order. Priority represents a charac- and show them the Stories their character has collected as a
ter’s awareness of their current environment and their alertness symbol of pride. On the other end of the spectrum, Stories
of the situation. To determine priority, each player involved in can also be in your arsenal of weapons against the player. If
combat will roll and add any bonuses to priority that they have. a player keeps trying to melee fight with clockwork abomina-
A player may request to be given a circumstancial bonus tions that use giant torches, have the abomination attack their
by consulting the narrator. With proper justification, the narrator face and give them the Burn Victim Alteration Story. Feel free
has the right to grant the player a bonus to their priority (nor- to let players take one or two Personality and Background Sto-
mally a +6). This is typically done when a character is ready for ries when they first build their character, but make sure you
combat, has their revolver drawn, and is aching to go. This char- know have an idea about the roleplay requirements for them.
acter is likely to go before the guy sitting in the corner, drinking
a glass of wine.
Multiple players may request this benefit, but the narra-
tor is never obligated to anybody. If too many people can justify
gaining a priority bonus, then everyone’s starting on the same
footing and should probably just go without any bonuses.
If the characters are ready for the combat before the
combat truly begins, they can be in their stances and have their
weapons already drawn.

Damage Classes
Weapons and most attacks have damage classes. The damage
class of a weapon varies based on the size of the weapon. Light
melee weapons, for example, have a damage class of 4, while
heavy melee weapons have a damage class of 8.
The damage class determines how much damage it will
do for any given tier. If you get a tier 1 result, your damage dealt
will be equal to the damage class. If you get a tier 2 result, the
damage dealt will be twice the damage class. Tier 3 triples the
damage class.
Most easily put, the damage you deal for an attack is
equal to your damage class times the tier.

Stories
Stories are memories of adventures past, things you take with you
throughout your lifelong journeys. Stories are not active abilities
for you to use, they are simply past experiences that make ob-
stacles you face now either easier to face or harder.
You have some stories before you even start your days
as an adventurer, such as past job experiences in the form of
Background Stories, or affiliations with different organizations
through Membership Stories. All other Stories attached to your
character are awarded by your Narrator. For instance, should you
continually act crude and vulgar, your Narrator may choose to
give you the Yobbish Personality Story, and you gain all of the
bonuses and penalties that go along with it. However, should your
personality change and you cease your vulgarity, your Narrator is
fully within their rights to take that Story away.
Some Stories are, on the other hand, permanent modifi- rvival Guide: In
ers of your character, and earning such a Story means you would Rule #1 of theacIntufaalntbaryttSu
le , do not rely on
have to do something extremely drastic to be rid of it. This of the even t of ield
course would come in the form of a different Story taking the
former’s place. Perfect examples of this are Alteration Stories, this book to act as your sh
which are Stories that affect your character’s physical make-up.
11
 Attacking
System
Chapter 1

Attacking is a simple process. Both combatants roll, the attacker to hit and the defender to evade. If the accuracy meets
or exceeds the evade, the attack lands. Then the attacker rolls for strike and the defender rolls for defense. The damage
dealt is based on the weapon used and is put against a tiered result. The defense works the same way, soaking an amount
of damage based on the armor worn.

Accuracy Evade
When delivering an attack, you must first land it. You
make an attack against the target’s evade. If the ac-
curacy meets or exceeds the evade, the attack hits.
vs When receiving an attack, you want to evade it. The
attacker makes an accuracy roll against the defend-
er’s evade. If the evade exceeds the accuracy, the at-
tack misses.
Strike Defense
Once you are sure that an attack has landed, how
hard the strike hit is decided. Use your roll, add your
strike, and then tier the results. The tier will then deal
the indicated amount of damage to the defender.
vs In preparation for an incoming blow, the target read-
ies his defenses. Roll again, add your defense, and
then tier the results. The tier will then soak damage
from the opponent’s attack.

Specialty Attacks
Normally, melee attacks require 2 action points (unarmed attacks require 1 AP and ranged attacks vary). Characters can
make unique attacks using specialties for extra action points. Many specialties will be labeled as “attack + x AP.” There-
fore, when you decide to make a specialty attack, you announce the attack and spend the total action point cost in order
to attempt it.
You may stack special attacks if you have enough action points to do so. For example, if you have two specialties
that both say “melee attack +1 AP,” you may make your melee attack (for 2 action points) and add both specialties onto
it (at 1 action point apiece), which would be a single attack that costs 4 AP to make. Be careful, though: if your opponent
manages to evade, you’ve just used 4 action points on a single attack! You cannot add a single attack-modifying specialty
twice, however.

How We Roll
Explaining how to roll a single die may seem asinine, but I’m going to do it anyway (but only because we
have two special rules about die rolling)
Rule #1 Rule #2
1 is 1 Pure 12s Roll Again
This rule is simple. A roll of a 1 results in a 1. Whenever It’s true. If you roll a pure 12 (as in, a 12 on the twelve-
you roll a 1 on your twelve-sided die, your are not allowed sided die is showing), you roll again. You then add your
to add anything to it. We don’t care if you have a +48 in new roll to 12 in order to determine the result.
brute; when you roll that 1, you receive a 1. If you roll 12 again, you keep on going.
The only exception to this rule regards negatives.
If you have some penalty on your roll (such as being Just so it’s clear, if you roll a 1 after rolling a 12,
blind, which incurs a -4 on accuracy rolls), a 1 is not a 1. the result is a 13. Rule #1 no longer applies.
Negatives still apply. So your blind accuracy roll was not If you are rolling a 12 randomly to determine
a 1, it was a -3. what called shot location you hit, this rule need not apply.

12
Actions

System
Chapter 1
Now let’s see what you can do.
Attack tion points. Called shots can also be made with ranged weapons.
Cost: 2 AP for Most Weapons, 1 AP for Unarmed Every called shot is resistable. The resist is based on
your strike (or accuracy with firearms and crossbows), for which
Attacking somebody can be anything from stabbing with your the target must roll the appropriate attribute and exceed your
rapier to swinging your whip to firing your pistol. You choose a strike in order to resist.
target and you attack.
Stacking Called Shot Effects: The effects from
Your choice of weapon determines how many action called shots do not stack. If somebody is disoriented from a
points it cost, though most will use 2 action points. Your damage called shot to the brain, another called shot to the brain will only
is also determined by your choice of weapon. renew the effect, not double it. A called shot to the torso (to knock
Non-Lethal Attacks: You hold your blows just a little them back) or stunning them via a called shot to the neck are the
bit, aiming for areas that won’t kill the person. You can make a only exceptions.
non-lethal attack just like a regular attack; however, if the oppo- Called Shot in Wounds & Fatals: A called shot
nent takes any wounds damage, he does not have to roll on the while the target is in wounds or fatal effects will automatically hit
wounds effect chart. Instead of dying, the opponent falls uncon- that location. There’s no need to roll randomly. (For this reason,
scious upon reaching 0 wounds. many people will do a called shot to a lethal location once a per-
son has reached wounds and fatals, like to the head or chest.)
Called Shot
Cost: Attack +1 AP Deflect
Sometimes you don’t just want to hurt them. Sometimes you want Cost: 1 AP interruption
to stab them in the eyes, smash their fingers, or kick them in the Shields are used for deflecting incoming attacks. To make a
balls. These options are Called Shots. shield deflection, you must be wielding a shield (or some other
To make a called shot, choose one of the 12 key parts item you can make a deflection with) and be in the process of
of the body (found on the Called Shot pages, a couple pages being attacked. Then, you can make a deflect attempt. When you
over) and make an attack. The attack is just like any other at- deflect with a shield, it costs you 1 action point and you gain a +4
tack, except that it requires one extra action point to do. Thus, a on your evade roll.
normal melee attack made as a called shot would be three action
points, whereas a called shot that was unarmed would be two ac-
Draw or Swap an Item
Cost: 1 AP
You may swap weapons or pull out an item (such as a vial or ex-
plosive) for one action point.

Enter a Stance
Cost: 1 AP
You may enter a stance for 1 action point. You can only be in one
stance at a time. Often times when combat begins you can simul-
taneously enter a stance, costing no action points. Any time you
take on a specialized stance, the effects of the stance remain ac-
tive until you are knocked back, knocked prone, or are otherwise
knocked out of your stance. You must then re-enter the stance to
regain the benefits. At first the only stance your character knows
how to enter is the “Footing” stance used to wield Super-Heavy
items. You can learn more stances through certain specialties.

Grab
Cost: as an Unarmed Attack (1 AP) or Whip Attack (2 AP)
Grabs are similar to called shots, but rather than hitting them
there, you grab them. Your goal is not to deal damage but to
take hold of your opponent and limit their movement.
13
 First choose a called shot location, then roll your ed item, be it a weapon, shield, or vial of poison. Most items are
accuracy versus their evade just as though you were doing instantly destroyed when attacked (such as poisons, complex ma-
a normal attack. However, you do not deal damage. If you chines, et cetera). Weapons last a little bit longer.
land the attack, the target is grabbed. Once you grab the op- A melee weapon’s damage class decreases every time
System
Chapter 1

ponent, a few rules apply: it is struck by a sunder. The tier of the attack will indicate how
much the weapon’s damage class decreases by. For example, a tier
Neither you nor the target can move without breaking the 2 attack would decrease the target’s weapon by 2 damage class. A
grab. sunder made against a firearm, crossbow, or bow is twice as effec-
The target can attempt to break free for 1 AP by making tive, lowering the damage class by 2 for every tier of the attack.
either a brute or dexterity resist against your brute or dex- The dexterity resist will tier the effect down against a
terity. You can let go for 0 action points. weapon (so if you get a tier 2 dexterity resist, it lowers the effect
by 1). If used against another item that is instantly destroyed by
If you grab the target’s hand, the target cannot use the a sunder, the dexterity resist can only negate by being a tier over
weapon, item, or shield in that hand (beyond dropping it). the attack.
A damaged weapon can be repaired during a breather.
Throw
Resist: Brute (tier down) Miscellaneous Actions
Cost: 2 AP Cost: Varies
After successfully grabbing a person, you may then throw them. There are a wide variety of other actions you may want to make
Roll your Brute to determine how well you throw them. For every while in combat. Here is a list of just some of those actions:
tier over tier 1 that the opponent rolls their Brute, it lowers the
effect by 1 tier. Note: small creatures, such as gnomes and most Actions AP Cost
animals, are thrown an additional 5 feet.
Breaking a Window 1 AP
Opponent is thrown 5 feet. Opening a Door 1 AP
Opponent is thrown 10 feet. Pulling a Lever 1 AP
Opponent is thrown 10 feet and is now prone.
Opponent is thrown 15 feet and is now prone.
Called Shot Locations
Move
Cost: 1 AP
You are able to move 25 feet for a single action point. Certain rac-
1
es (elves, gnomes, and satyrs) have different movement speeds. 3
2
Ready a Firearm 4
Cost: Varies
Many firearms require you to ready them between each firing.
This can be as simple as cocking back the hammer or as complex
as muzzle-loading the musket. It all depends on the firearm. You 5
can find out more about readying a firearm in the Gear chapter.

Stand Up 7 8
Cost: 1 AP
Sometimes, after you’ve been knocked prone, you just need to
stand back up. Do so for 1 action point.
Note, kneeling does not cost any action points as you 9 6 10
are doing that as a combat action. Thus, you could kneel behind a
low wall for no action points. If the wall’s only 1 foot tall, though,
your narrator might rule that you need that 1 action point to get
down into a flat position and stand up from it.

Sunder
Cost: as an Attack 11-12
Resist: Dexterity (tiers down)
Rather than attacking the person, the attack is against the wield-
14
Reflexive Attacks

System
Chapter 1
Actions you can do in an instant.
Reflexive attacks are attacks that you can make when Leaving Cover
an opponent leaves themselves open. They are just like Can only be made with ranged attacks
normal attacks - that is, they cost the same amount of
action points and you can upgrade them with your spe- If a gunman is hiding behind a crate and leaves cover
cialties - but they can happen outside of your turn. And to take a shot, everyone can take a shot at him, because
remember, your action points reset at the end of your he is now open.
turn, so after your turn, you’re back up to full. If somebody is standing behind a tree and walks
For most people, there are two actions that leave out from behind the tree, anybody with a gun ready can
a person open to reflexive attacks: leaving cover and us- take a shot.
ing, consuming, or drawing an item.
Using an Item
Can only be made with melee attacks
If somebody pulls out an accelerator rifle, tries to drink
a push potion, or flips on their unusual gadget within
melee distance, anybody within melee range can make
a reflexive attack.

Fighting out of Combat

Fighting out of Combat may sound like an oxymoron, but it occurs any time where the defender is not fighting
back. If you are stabbing somebody in their sleep, knocking somebody upside the head while they have their
back turned, or otherwise dealing damage to a person who doesn’t think they’re in combat, you are fighting
out of combat.
No Hit Points
Whenever a person is not at least partially ready for a fight themselves, they take direct wounds damage. Hit points are
a reflection of combat stamina, and a person who is not in combat has no hit points. Therefore, if you are stabbed in
the back, you take wounds damage.

Coup de Grace
Cost: 3 AP
A coup de grace is a melee attack specifically meant to kill somebody. They can’t be fighting back, moving, or other-
wise defending themselves. The attack deals direct damage to their wounds and they must roll on the wounds random
effects chart. In a coup de grace, the attacker takes a pure 12 on their strike roll with the defender takes a natural 1 on
their defense.
Knock Out: A character can make a non-lethal coup de grace that works exactly like a coup de grace, except
that the target falls unconscious upon reaching 0 wounds and does receive wounds random effects.

15
System
Chapter 1

1 2 3 4
Head Eyes Ears Neck
Resist: Brute Resist: Dexterity Resist: Cunning Resist: Brute
A shot to the head will dis- When a successful attack When a successful attack An attack against your
orient you (causing you is made against your ocu- is made against your aural neck can leave you gasp-
to lose 1 action point per lar region, your sight be- region, your hearing be- ing for air, unable to take
turn) until the end of your comes blurry (giving you a comes fuzzy (giving you a actions. A successful
next turn. -2 on accuracy and evade) -2 on evade) until the end called shot against your
until the end of your next of your next turn. neck stuns you for 1 action
turn. point.
Called Shots

Wounded
Effect taken whenever you take wounds damage.
Disoriented Blinded Deafened Bleeding
A wound to the head causes A wound to the eyes leaves A wound to the ears leaves A wound to the neck
long-term disorientation. you blinded until you can you deafened until you can causes bleeding. Bleed-
While disoriented, you lose take a breather. You suffer take a breather. You suffer ing will cause you 1 point
1 action point per turn, and a -4 on accuracy and evade a -2 on evade rolls and any of wounds damage every
will be disoriented for 1 rolls, and you cannot tar- roll that requires listening, turn after the one where
turn per 3 points of dam- get opponents you can’t speaking, or performing a you take the wound, and
age the attack dealt to you. locate. sound-based action. will last for 1 turn per 3
You cannot re-orient your- points of damage the at-
self from this wound. tack dealt to you.
Any sort of bloodclot-
ting, medical healing, or
artificial flesh imbuing will
stop the bleeding.

Fatal
Effect taken whenever you take damage and have no more wounds or hit points.
Beheaded Blind Deaf Slit Throat
If your head is dealt a fatal A fatal to the eyes leaves A fatal to the ears leaves If your neck is dealt a fa-
blow, you instantly die. you permanently blinded. you permanently deafened. tal blow, you will die at the
You suffer a -4 on accura- You suffer a -2 on evade end of your next turn.
cy and evade rolls, and you rolls and any roll that re-
cannot target opponents quires listening, speaking,
you can’t locate. Losing or performing a sound-
your eyes permanently based action. Losing your
drops your wounds by 1 ears permanently drops
point. your wounds by 1 point.

16
 Called shots are all resistable. The defender must roll their resist attribute. If it exceeds the attacker’s strike roll
(or accuracy roll for firearms and crossbows), the called shot is resisted.
Wounded and Fatal effects can not be resisted.

System
Chapter 1
5 6 7- 8 9-10 11-12
Torso Groin Arm Hand Leg
Resist: Brute Resist: Spirit Resist: Brute Resist: Dexterity Resist: Dexterity
A good blow to the torso A blow to the groin makes An attack against your arm An attack to the hand A called shot to the leg can
can knock a person back- you nauseous. You receive makes it difficult for you to causes you to drop whatev- either trip you or slow you
wards. A successful torso a -2 to all rolls until 3 ac- use that hand. You take a -2 er you’re holding. Picking down (attacker’s choice).
called shot sends you tion points have been spent on any roll that would use up a dropped item costs 1 If you are slowed, it will
backwards 5 feet. emptying your stomache. that arm and hand, such action point. cost you 1 extra AP to move
If the person dealing as accuracy and strike, or until the end of your next
the attack is in melee with evade if you are trying to turn. If you’re tripped,
you, they may choose to use a shield with that hand, you’re brought prone and
follow you back the 5 feet until the end of your next lose your stance. While
for 0 action points. turn. prone, you suffer a -1 on
all combat rolls (accuracy,
evade, strike, and defense),
but can stand up for 1 ac-
tion point.

Wounded
Effect taken whenever you take wounds damage.
Broken Ribs Purge Sprained Arm Bruised Hand Sprained Leg
Suffering broken ribs can You’re body begins to Your arm is sprained, mak- Your hand is smashed, Your leg is sprained. You
make it difficult to breath. purge itself. You can take ing it near impossible for making it impossible for suffer a -10 on your move-
Any time you want to no actions beyond mov- you to wield things with you to wield anything with ment speed (though you
make any action, you must ing, and you only can go that arm. Anything that that hand. The wound will cannot be dropped below
roll your brute attribute. If at half your normal speed you do with the arm suffers recover during your next a minimum of 5 feet) and
you do not receive a tier 2 (rounded down). While a -6 on the roll. The wound breather. you’re tripped (bringing
result, you fail and lose 1 purging, if anybody at- will recover during your you prone). The wound will
action point. This wound tacks you, you suffer a -4 next breather. recover during your next
will stay with you until on your evade roll. The breather.
your next breather. purging lasts for 3 turns.

Fatal
Effect taken whenever you take damage and have no more wounds or hit points.
Slain Gutted Severed Arm Severed Hand Severed Leg
You are instantly killed. Your vital organs are ex- Your arm is severed. You Your hand is severed. You Part of your leg is severed.
posed to the world, and now have one less arm, and now have one less hand, You suffer a -20 on your
you are bleeding out. Un- anything that requires you and anything that requires movement speed (though
less you can recover 10 to use two arms cannot be you to use two hands can- you cannot be dropped be-
points of damage (wounds accomplished. Ambiguous not be accomplished. Am- low a minimum of 5 feet).
or hit points) before the actions that would normal- biguous actions that would Anything that requires two
end of your next turn, you ly use two arms (such as normally use two hands legs, such as swimming,
will die. lifting something over head (such as lifting something climbing, or kicking, suf-
or climbing) take a -6 on over head or climbing) take fers a -6 on the roll. Having
the roll. Having a severed a -6 on the roll. Having a a severed leg permanently
arm permanently drops severed hand permanently drops your wounds by 1
your wounds by 2 points drops your wounds by 1 point.
(1 point for the arm and 1 point. The bleeding from a
point for the hand). The bleeding from a severed leg will cause you
The bleeding from a severed hand will cause to die in 3 turns if you do
severed arm will cause you you to die in 6 turns if you not spend at least 3 AP
to die in 3 turns if you do do not spend at least 3 AP bandaging it up.
not spend at least 3 AP
bandaging it up.
bandaging it up. 17
 Attributes
System
Chapter 1

Attributes are the baseline pieces of your character. Your attri- Note to the Narrator:
butes determine how fast you react, how well you push back, how
long you survive poisons, how quickly you process information, When to Ask for Attribute Rolls
and a whole plethora of actions that anybody can do.
There are five attributes: brute, cunning, dexterity, spirit, Be sparing when asking for attribute rolls. On one hand, it
and sciences. You will start with a zero in each of these attributes, is completely within your power to ask the players to roll
but as you gain experience in your skills, your attributes will in- their dexterity to see if they fall down the stairs, but is it
crease as well. really necessary? Every attribute roll should have a deep
Each attribute has a set of skills that fall underneath it. impact on the story, otherwise it begins to lose its excite-
As you gain points in your skills, add up all of the skills under the ment and meaning.
attribute to figure out what your attribute score is. In Tephra, we utilize a system built on “Four
Tiers of Success.” Whenever you ask for an attribute roll,
don’t think of it as win or lose. Think, instead, that your
Using Attributes player is going to succeed, but the roll will tell you how
Each attribute will include a variety of different options you can well. If a failure is going to cause the story to stall, make
use that attribute for. Dexterity, for example, is used when trip- tier 1 a poor success. It’ll keep the story moving while giv-
ping people, disarming them, trying to be stealthy, attempting to ing the players some fun consequences.
squeeze into a tight spot, or anytime that your hand-eye coordi-
nation is going to prove valuable.
Anybody can do anything listed under attributes. Using
attributes requires no training or skill. Most people will simply be
average in the attributes (which means they have a zero). Others
will excel in them.

Resists
Almost all abilities that affect somebody can also be resisted. The Dodging Blasts (1 AP Dexterity resist)
most common resist is, of course, your evade and defense - when
attacked, your goal is to jump out of the way and take less dam- Any time you are affected by a blast (something that affects a
age. But other special attacks will often call for attribute-based large area), you may attempt to jump out of the blast area. It costs
resists. When you need to resist a tiered effect with an attribute 1 action point reflexively, and you may only move up to your total
resist, you simply lower the amount that the ability affects you speed in order to get out of the blast range. Thus, if the edge of
by 1 tier for every tier you receive over the blast area is 40 feet away, and you only have a 30 foot move-
tier 1. ment speed, there is no way you can jump out of the blast area.
Tier 1 Unaffected
So, if you were using your brute In order to successfully jump out of the blast area, you
to resist against a marque 3 poison, and Tier 2 -1 Tier must roll your dexterity and receive a tier result equal to the tier
you made a tier 2 brute roll, you would Tier 3 -2 Tiers or marque of the blast. Thus, a tier 3 blast would require a tier
lower the poison’s marque by 1, being af- 3 dexterity result in order to jump out of it. (This is different
fected as though it were a marque 2 poi- Tier 4 -3 Tiers from normal resists, which require you to receive a tier result one
son. higher than the tier or mark of the ability in order to fully resist
it.)
If you fail to get out of the blast area, you move to the
edge of the blast area (while still remaining within it) and take
the normal damage, which you can still soak, if possible.

18
Social Tells

System
Chapter 1
When interacting with other characters, it’s nearly impos- Control Remains with the Character
sible to quantify how likely they are to believe your lie or The social tell system is designed to help a character convince
how stubborn they are toward your wild claims. Instead, you others or manipulate a social situation. However, the ultimate
can search for their social tells. These are their non-verbal choice of how to act remains with the adventurers and NPCs.
cues, often made unconsciously, that betray a character’s in- The players are not told directly, “This man is lying,” just like
ner thoughts. You might be trying to decide if a man is ly- the NPC who is being intimidated is not forced to back down
ing. Successfully reading his social tells might let you notice because of a good roll. Their decisions should be made in-line
his sweaty palms, his shifting eyes, and his constant check- with their character and how they would react to the information
ing of his watch. By this point, you’ll have a pretty good idea received.
that he’s lying.
Social tells are anything but absolute. He may look Using Social Tells
like he’s lying, but in reality he might just be late for a very
important business meeting. The goal of social tells is to
guide you toward the answer without outright saying, “The Lie Detecting
fellow is clearly lying.” The decision on how to act once Resist: Cunning (tiers down)
you’ve observed somebody’s social tells is still up to you. When somebody has made a statement that you think isn’t true,
A character will use social tells by rolling their cun- you can attempt to detect the lie. You can look for their level of
ning and tiering the results. confidence and conviction, how strongly they make the state-
ment, whether they seem nervous, are looking away, or are ex-
cessively sweating. When you roll to detect a lie, the target can
Tells resist with their own cunning.
When a character rolls to determine somebody’s tells, the narrator
will describe key aspects of the target depending on the success
of the roll. For example, you might be attempting to decide if Pacifying & Intimidating
he’s lying. Depending on how well you roll, you might get the Resist: Spirit (tiers down)
following results: Attempting to pacify or intimidate a target can cause them to
back down, calm down, or suddenly fear you. It’s a great way to
He seems rather sweaty, despite the chill in the room. get information or to get past a potential obstacle. When you
Pretty much anybody would notice this. are attempting to pacify a target, you’re trying to find just the
He is very stiff when he talks. He’s not making many right things to say in order to make the target less agressive.
gestures, he’s not looking you in the eyes, and his posture Intimidation is similar, but it typically revolves around making
seems guarded. the target afraid of you.
His humor seems forced. He’s scratching behind the ears Unlike most social tells, the target will typically be re-
and looking toward the door, as though he’s about to be sisting with their spirit attribute, as they are trying to bolster
rescued or make a quick get-away. He keeps looking at their own resolve to keep on fighting.
your pistol.
His breathing has changed, and you detect a change in Provoking
his heart beat due to the cadence in his voice. He has Resist: Cunning (tiers down)
shifted just slightly, so that the table is positioned more
between you. When you go to provoke somebody, you are trying to elicit a
certain type of response. Perhaps you’re attempting to make
As the result for social tells gets higher, the narrator might give them angry, to say something they don’t want to say, or even
you either more information or more useful information. just to laugh. Sometimes you will provoke somebody so that, in
the midst of combat, the target will only attack you.
Resisting Social Tells When you roll for social tells to provoke a person, you’re
looking for a way to get your response. If your target is a proper
When a person begins looking for social tells, they are testing gentleman, you might look for a wedding ring to determine that
the air for information. Other characters might be aware of their he’s in a committed marriage and some snide comments about
social tells and attempt to hide them. As such, they can roll a cun- his wife could make him angry. If a guard seems to take great
ning resist, which will tier down the player’s result. pride in the emblem on his armor, you might make a joke about
Alternatively, some characters just won’t have social tells. his organization.
A man who is known for his stoic demeanor may have few noti-
cable social tells, and he might need a tier 3 or tier 4 to figure out
his motives.
19
 Soft Cover

Cover Soft cover is anything that obscures an opponent’s vision but

can still be attacked through. For instance, if you’re hiding be-
hind dense shrubbery, a canvas screen, or behind a sheet, the
System
Chapter 1

opponent can still attack you through that soft cover.

Soft cover causes the opponent to attack you blindly
(taking a -4 on the accuracy roll). If the opponent can barely
When an opponent is behind a wall, a thick sheet of rain, or an- see you (like a shadow of you through the screen), they only
other person, they have cover. take a -2 on the accuracy roll.
Cover gives you a bonus on your evade rolls, but can also This is a double-edged sword: if you can’t accurately
cover called shot locations and provide hiding places. There are tell how they’re attacking you, you suffer the same penalty on
four degrees of cover - poor, light, medium, and heavy. Each de- your evade roll.
gree of cover grants greater protection.
Called Shot Locations: When you are behind cover,
you can choose certain called shot locations to be covered. For example, if you’re hiding behind a table on its side, the table might
count as medium cover and cover all of your called shot locations except your head (which you’re peeking over the table with in order
to see your targets), your gun hand, and your arm.
If you need a called shot location to perform an action, then you can’t hide it behind cover (like if you are using a heavy
rifle that requires both hands and arms and your head to see, then you’d have to reveal all 5 of those requisite called shot locations).
When you take cover, describe what part of you is hiding and allow you and your narrator to make judgment calls as to if the location
is hidden or not (but the ultimate decision is left to the narrator). For example, you might have thought only your head and eyes were
exposed, but the enemy saw your foot sticking out and took a shot at it. That’s the narrator’s call, which should be making the game
that much more fun.

(tier 1) A post, side-table, or person

Poor Covers up to 3 called shot locations
Evade: +2 on evade rolls
(tier 2) A bush, couch, or tree
Light Covers up to 6 called shot locations
Evade: +4 on evade rolls
(tier 3) A large tree, barrel, trench, or around the corner
Medium Covers up to 9 called shot locations
Evade: +6 on evade rolls
(tier 4) Around a full wall, ducked behind furniture
Heavy Covers up to 11 called shot locations
Evade: +8 on evade rolls
No portion of the person visible
Total Covers all called shot locations
Evade: Cannot be targeted

20 Poor Cover Light Cover

Taking Total Cover Hiding Spots
Cost: 1 AP (or at the end of a movement) Hiding spots are locations where you can keep yourself hidden
For 1 action point or at the end of a move, you can take full cov- from on-lookers. You can use medium, heavy, or total cover as
er behind an object that would normally only grant medium or hiding spots (the action of hiding in a hiding spot counts as tak-

System
Chapter 1
heavy cover. This is typically the act of ducking down behind the ing total cover). Once you’ve taken your hiding spot, people can
cover or pressing yourself against it. roll to notice you or they must search for you.
Once you’ve taken total cover, you can peek out from Noticing: Attempting to “notice” somebody is a pas-
behind that cover and return for 0 action points (such as poking sive action. When a character notices something, they did so
your head out from around a corner). Doing so, however, does without any real effort, without actively searching for what they
count as “leaving cover” and allows enemies with ranged weapons noticed. When a person passes near another person’s hiding spot,
to take reflexive attacks against you. they both roll cunning (with the hiding person gaining a bonus
based on their degree of cover). If the person walking by meets
or exceeds the person hiding, they “notice” that there is some-
Melee Attacks versus Cover body hiding there.
Though cover is a constant concern for ranged attackers, it can
be less so for people carrying melee weapons. While a wall can be Medium -4 on the cunning roll to hide, as this degree of
great for peeking one’s head around, once that person closes in Cover cover is difficult to hide behind
with a saber, that wall isn’t going to be doing much. Heavy No bonus on the cunning roll to hide, as this de-
Small objects (such as furniture and vegetation) can Cover gree of cover is a typical hiding spot
provide cover as per normal, but characters will often just move Total +4 on the cunning roll to hide, as this degree of
around larger objects (such as larger trees, walls, et cetera). Cover cover is ideal for hiding
Firing Blindly Searching: Searching is a much more involved process.
If someone says “I search behind the rock” and there somebody
While taking total cover, you can always choose to fire blindly is hiding behind the rock, they will automatically find that person.
at your opponents. When you fire blindly, you are only reveal- The area must be specific (saying that one “searches the room”
ing your hand (the one firing the gun, crossbow, or throwing the is not specific enough: they must say that they search behind the
weapon) or hands (if you’re using two-handed ranged weapons or curtains and inside the closet).
a bow). This prevents enemies from targeting your vital locations, If somebody is found hiding, both parties may roll prior-
as they can now only target your hand(s). ity. The winner will get to act first, often times taking the chance
However, you have difficulty aiming at the target while to immediately run or get off a surprise attack.
firing blindly. You take a -4 on your accuracy roll against anybody
that you shoot (exactly as though you were blind). If you do not
know where the enemy is but shoot in the correct direction (at Precipitation & Wind
your narrator’s discretion), you’ll suffer a -8 on the accuracy roll. Precipitation and wind can provide cover, as both make it more
difficult to aim at your target. Your narrator will use his discre-
tion when determining a cover bonus provided from precipita-
tion and wind. They can also increase cover; for example, if
you’re taking cover behind a barrel (say, medium cover), but it’s
also hailing outside, that medium cover can suddenly become
heavy cover.

Medium Cover Heavy Cover 21

 Status Effects
System
Chapter 1

Bleeding or crafting intricate trinkets very difficult, where as burned feet

could cause a player trouble when attempting fancy footwork or
Any time you’re bleeding, you’re taking hit point damage until long treks across the country.
your hit points are exhausted, at which point you start taking
wounds damage. Normally, bleeding will occur when the victim’s You have minor burns on his body that make all in-
action points refresh and last until stopped. This damage cannot Tier 1 coming attack sting just a little bit more. You suffer a
be soaked through normal defenses. Bleeding effects stack with -1 to all defense rolls.
other bleeding effects.
You have several 1st degree burns that make defend-
For every 1 action point spent to stop bleeding, 5 bleed Tier 2 ing difficult. You suffer a -3 to all defense rolls.
damage is negated. These action points must be spent by either
the victim or a character adjacent to the victim. Tier 3 You have major 2nd degree burns that hurt when you
even move. You suffer a -5 to all defense rolls.
You’ve been burned incredibly badly. Several are 3rd
Blinded & Poor Vision Tier 4 degree burns, making it almost impossible to take a
When you’re blinded, in total darkness, or just plain can’t see your hit. You suffur a -7 to all defense rolls.
opponent, you take a -4 on all accuracy and evade rolls against
him. If you’re in low levels of light, fog, or just have something in
your eye, you take a -2 on accuracy and evade rolls. Deafened
While deafened, you suffer a -2 on evade rolls. You also take that
-2 on any roll that requires listening, speaking, or performing a
Burning sound-based action.
When you are on fire, you will suffer unsoakable damage every
turn, and the fire will damage or destroy your equipment. The
fire can be put out for a couple action points, depending on the Disoriented
size of the fire. When you’re disoriented, you have a hard time getting about. You
This is a light flame such as as stepping in a camp- lose one action point per turn that you are disoriented. You can
fire or a explosion’s aftermath. You take 2 unsoakable re-orientate yourself by spending 3 action points.
Tier 1 damage per turn and items in your possession are
singed but still functional. 2 action points will put the
fire out. Drowning
When you run out of air, make a brute roll for each turn until you
This is a large fire, like from standing in a campfire once again have air. The target tier for this roll begins at tier 2 and
or being lit by an outside source such as a torch. You increases each turn until you fail, at which case you’re knocked
Tier 2 take 4 unsoakable damage per turn and all wooden, out. You die within three turns of falling unconscious if you’re
organic, and cloth items in your possession are de- not rescued.
stroyed or unuseable. 4 action points will put the fire
out.
This is a fire fueled by outside means, such as oil or an Enraged
alchemical source. You take 8 unsoakable damage per Rage drives a person to act with one goal in mind: to destroy
Tier 3 turn and all leather, cloth, and wooden items in your whatever is making them angry. As such, when you are enraged
possession are destroyed or unusable. 8 action points you suffer a -2 to all rolls when doing anything other then at-
will put out the fire. tacking whatever enraged you. You gain a +2 accuracy and strike
This a highly intensive fire caused by lava or a full when attacking the object of your rage. You may spend 2 action
inferno. You take 16 unsoakable damage per turn. All points at any time to clear your head and calm down, removing
Tier 4 items in your possession, including metal ones, are your rage.
damaged to a point of being unusable until repaired.
16 action points will put out the fire.
Fatigued
When you’re fatigued, your maximum hit points are reduced by
Burnt one half, rounded down. Thus, if you normally have 17 hit points
Burns can be painful, debilitating wounds that heal very slowly. but start a battle fatigued, you’ll start the fight with 8 hit points.
General burns make armor uncomfortable to wear and hits harder
to soak. For specific call shot burns, consider giving equal penal-
ties to abilities when using the burned body located.
As an example, burned hands might make climbing
22
Fear Stunned
Fear comes in many forms and is caused by many things. It is When somebody is stunned, they lose an indicated amount of ac-
an emotion of power that causes nations and heroes to both rise tion points from their immediate pool. If somebody is stunned for
and fall. Fear is one of the most basic and powerful emotion in 1 action point, they lose the first available action point they have.

System
Chapter 1
the universe, as there are few who truly ever overcome it and even If somebody is stunned for more action points than they have per
fewer who are without it. At any point you may spend 1 reflex- turn, they cannot act until they have action points again.
ive action point to attempt to overcome fear. A strong willpower A stunned character is still aware of their environment
always overcomes fear and as such you may always use a spirit and can evade and resist attacks, and is therefore not helpless.
to resist or overcome fear. Lastly, fear only lasts until your next
downtime.
Being scared by someone or of something is the most
basic form of fear. This is the form of fear that comes
Tier 1 from being intimidated by the object of fear. When

Battlefield
you are scared you receive a -2 to all resist rolls. This
penalty increases to a -4 when rolling against the
source of your fear.

Modifiers
Fright has the ability to cause doubt in even the stron-
gest and most skilled people. It consumes them and
Tier 2 makes them act irrationally which opens them for
mistakes. When Frightened you suffer a -2 to all rolls.
This penalty increases to a -4 when rolling against the
source of your fear.
When you are terrified you body has only one re-
sponse: put as much distance between you and the Falling
object of your fear as possible. When you are terri- You take 1 wounds damage per 20 feet that you fall. For every tier
Tier 3 fied, you suffer a -2 to all rolls (-4 against your fear’s
source) and must spend at least 1 action point per turn
result over tier 1 you receive on a dexterity roll, you may ignore 2
wounds damage. (Thus, a tier 2 dexterity roll would result in ig-
moving away from the object of your fear. In addition, noring the first 40 feet of falling damage, and a tier 3 result would
you may not move toward the object of your fear until ignore the first 80 feet.) For every 2 wounds damage that you take
you are no longer terrified. from falling, you roll once on the wounds random effects chart.
True dread is sometimes referred to as crippling fear.
It gets this reputation because those unfortunate
enough to have experienced true dread had their basic Rough Terrain
rights as a sentient creature stripped from them: the Rough terrain can be found anywhere, Sometimes it is a mere
Tier 4 ability to act. When you are experiencing true dread, inconvenience, slowing you down a notch or giving you uneven
you suffer a -4 to all rolls (-6 against your fear’s source) footing. Other times it can be virtually impassable, making you
and may not do anything except when attempting to nearly crawl to get anywhere.
overcome fear (and you can spend one action point at
a time to re-roll your resist against this effect). Minor You take a -5 to your speed.
Examples: A rocking boat, a light forest

Nausea Unsteady You take a -10 to your speed.

Examples: A forest, rocky terrain, snow
You’ve become sick to your stomach and cannot focus until it’s You take a -15 to your speed.
been dealt with. You receive a -2 to all rolls until 3 action points Difficult Examples: A swamp, a snowy mountain
have been spent emptying your stomache.
Impossible You take a -20 to your speed.
Examples: A dense jungle, ancient rubble
Paralyzed Note: No matter how dense or how many penalties you have to
A paralyzed person is helpless for several turns, minutes, hours, or speed, you can always crawl at a 5 feet movement.
days. If paralyzed, a person cannot fight back. Any damage dealt
to them goes straight into wounds. They cannot move, talk, or
take any other actions (unless specified otherwise).

Prone
If you’re prone, you’re low to the ground. It requires 1 action
point to stand from prone, which causes you to flinch (and thus
draw reflexes). While prone, your move speed is cut down to 5
feet. You take a -1 on all combat rolls (accuracy, evade, strike, and
defense) while prone. If you’re grabbed while prone, you cannot
stand up until you break the grab.
23
 Chapter 2
Character Creation
Chapter 3

Character
Creation

24
Making a Character

Character Creation
Many consider making the character to be almost more fun that actually playing the game. The Clockwork

Chapter 2
System uses a fast and easy way of character creation with the hardest part left entirely up to you:
figuring out exactly what you want your character to be.
You’ll need a character sheet, a twelve-sided die,
and a pencil. You can find character sheets in the
In Brief back of this book or at our website, CrackedMono-
Though we’ll explain everything in full in just one moment, we’ll cle.com. If you don’t have a character sheet handy,
start with a brief overview for returning players or new players no worries - you should be able to get this done
who want to get the gist of what they’re doing.
without one. (The character sheet just organizes the
1 - Race & Nationality c character and makes it easier.) Now that we’re ready,
Choose your race and nationality. You receive the racial traits for let’s get started.
it, and then roll on the random racial traits chart.
2 - Skills c
You may place 3 points in one skill, 2 points in two skills, and 1
point in 3 skills. These cannot stack (as in, be placed in the same
1 Race & Nationality
The absolute foundation of your character is the race. As a char-
skills). acter in Tephra, you may choose from the following races: hu-
3 - Attributes c man, ayodin, elf, farishtaa, gnome, or satyr. You can look up the
races in Chapter 3 - Races. Once you select a race, your character
Add up the skills under the attribute in order to determine the will gain their racial traits.
attribute bonus. You will roll your twelve-sided die to determine which
4 - Specialties c random racial trait you receive. Racial traits are background traits
that you obtained growing up as that race. It might be a natu-
Choose three specialties. They must come from skills that you ral-born talent or have been caused because of something that
have placed points in, unless they are general specialties. Re- happened to you, and that’s something nobody has control over.
member to write down your combat statistics derived from those Thus, it’s random.
specialties. You may also choose your nationality. Nationalities can
5 - Augments c be found in Chapter 4 - Context. You can choose from Evangles-
sian (the most common), Dalvozzean, Izedan, Paldoran, or Zel
If you received any augments from your specialties, choose your Haud. After choosing your nationality, you can select a couple
augments. nationality stories that work for your character.
6 - Weapons & Armor c Note to the Narrator:
c Choosing Traits c
Choose your weapons and armor.
7 - Gear c
Choose your gear. You may have any gear you want from the Start- If you’d like, you can allow your players to choose their
ing Gear selection, within reason. You also receive 10 princes. no-longer-random traits. You could also allow players to
re-roll their random trait if it really does not work with
8 - Derived Statistics c their character concept.
Now that everything is chosen, fill in the rest of your character Just be careful of allowing this. Don’t be too sur-
sheet, including priority, speed (based on your race), and action prised when suddenly everyone in your party has their fa-
points (3 at first level). vorite traits. You, of course, have the final say on any of
their selections, so use that control as necessary.
9 - Background Stories c
If your narrator is allowing you to, choose stories according to
their guidelines. For most characters, you may choose 1 back-
ground story.
2 Skills
Skills represent your training and talents. Each skill is grouped
10 - Finishings c
under an attribute. Choose one skill: that is your primary skill at
first level, and it gets 3 points (which means that you’ll get a +3
If you haven’t yet done so, choose a name, flavor your character, when rolling that skill). Then, choose two more skills. These are
give them a personality, and call it a day. your secondary skills, and each of them gets 2 points. Finally,
select three more skills, giving each 1 point.
25
 So the rule is simple: 3 points learn it. Once you’ve learned the augment, you can craft it into
in one skill, 2 point in two Skill Attribute an item at any time. You may choose an augment regardless of
skills, and 1 point in three Brawl the amount of slots it takes up. To learn more about crafting and
skills. You cannot place these Frenzy augments, turn to Chapter 10 - Sciences.
points in the same skill - Overpower Brute
therefore, at first level, you’ll Resilience
6 Weapons & Armors
Character Creation

be placing points in a total of

six skills. Espionage
Expertise You now get to choose your weapons. Weapons are largely chosen
You can choose skills Cunning based on their size and damage class. If you’d like a one-handed
Chapter 3

from one attribute or multiple Showmanship

Tactical sword, go for a medium melee weapon. If you’d like an elephant
attributes. The more points gun, go for a heavy rifle. Each size deals a set amount of damage.
you have in one attribute, the Ace Weapons, found in Chapter 5 - Gear, fully explains your options.
greater that attribute is going Agility Dexterity Your accuracy and strike are determined by bonuses
to be. On the other hand, if Marksmanship from your specialties. If the weapon has anything special about
you’re more spread out, you’ll Swashbuckling it, feel free to put that in the Notes section. You can name your
be better at doing multiple Faith weapon whatever you want, from “sword” to “meat cleaver” to
things. Grace “Lord Hazard’s Razor-Edged Lance of Destruction,” if that’s
Luck Spirit what you get kicks out of.
3WhereAttributes Shamanism
Alchemy
Now select your armor. Just like with weapons, armor
comes in light, medium, and heavy categories. Your evade and
skills are the sprinkles defense are determined by bonuses from your specialties. There’s
on your sundae, attributes are Armsmith
Automata a page for armor and shields right after where you chose your
the ice cream. You can de- Sciences weapons.
termine your attributes very Bio-Flux
easily - simply add up all of Engineer
Gadgetry
the skills under an attribute,
and that’s your attribute score. 7 Gear
Done! You’re almost finished, so now you get a reward: you get to go
shopping! For a beginning character, you may select anything
from the Starting Gear list in Chapter 5 - Gear. There is no stiff
limit on how much gear you can have when you begin. Instead,
Specialty Bonuses 4 Specialties just select what you feel your character would be carrying on
them. Of course, we assume that you’ll be logical and not try to
Acc: Accuracy Now that you’ve placed your skills and carry ten tents on your person.
Eva: Evade attributes, you can choose your special- Once you’ve selected your equipment, go ahead and give
ties. You choose three specialties at first yourself 10 princes (as pocket cash).
Stk: Strike level, and you will gain one specialty ev-
ery level thereafter.
Def: Defense Note to the Narrator:
Pri: Priority
Specialties are character defining abil-
ities, allowing you to do amazing things. c Altering Starting Cash c
Spd: Speed Specialties are found under skills. If you
want an agility specialty, for example, You are more than welcome to give the players more or
Aug: Augment you flip to the Agility page and peruse less to start off with. Many narrators will start characters
with no pocket cash and little more than a revolver with
DIY: Do-it-Yourself those specialties. the six rounds in the chamber. Or, if you’d like, you can
Wnd: Wound You can only choose a specialty if you give them mansions full of equipment and call them rich
have at least one point in the skill that nobles. It’s your saga - feel free to re-write it.
HP: Hit Points the specialty falls under, so your best bet
to find fitting specialties is to look under
the skills that you have points in - the
more points you have in a skill, the better you’re going to be at
using your specialties that come from that skill.
8 Derived Statistics
Finish filling in the statistics for your character sheet.
Specialty Bonuses: Each specialty has a couple bo-
nuses, or “combat statistics,” that it rewards the player with. When You have 3 action points (AP) at first level.
you take a specialty, mark down on the back of your character
sheet any bonuses that the specialty grants you. Your speed is based on your race’s normal speed (generally
25 feet) plus any bonuses from your specialties.
Your priority is based on bonuses granted from specialties.
5 Augments Unless you race says otherwise, you’ll start off with 12
If you have any augments from your specialties, go ahead and wounds.
select them now.
Everytime a specialty grants you an augment, you get Your hit points are entirely determined from your specialty-
to choose an augment under a sciences skill (such as Alchemy, granted combat statistics.
Armsmith, Engineer, and Gadgetry) that you have points in and
26
9 Stories
Later in Chapter 4 - Context, you’ll find a number of back-
ground stories. These “stories” are bits and pieces of your char- Starting at a
Higher Level
acter’s background that have left an effect on your character. We
encourage you to choose a background story when you first cre-

Character Creation
ate your character.

10 The Tasty Stuff

Chapter 2
At the discretion of your narrator, you and
your fellow adventurers can create your Starting Princes
Now it’s up to you to figure out all of the important roleplay- by Level
characters at higher experience levels. Per-
ing aspects of your character. Choose your character’s name, how haps you’re all playing highly experienced 1 10 princes
your character looks and acts, how they carry themselves, and government agents or even heroes of leg-
what matters in their life. Give your character a personality and end. When building a character at a level 2 18 princes
let your new character really come to life! higher than 1st level, build your character at 3 32 princes
1st level as per normal and then level them
up once at a time. (This same system is used 4 58 princes
when you rise multiple levels at a time.) As 5 105 princes
a higher level character, you’ll start out with
a little more pocket money, as per the chart 6 190 princes
to the right. 7 340 princes
8 615 princes

Leveling Up 9
10
11
1,100 princes
2,000 princes
3,570 princes
There are twelve levels a character can progress through, and it 12 6,425 princes
takes twelve experience points to level. Once a person has that
twelfth experience point, the character goes to the next level. It’s
just like a clock.
At every level after first, your skills go up and you gain a
specialty. Leveling up is pretty easy - just use this list:
Place 2 points in any 1 skill
Retrofitting
Place 1 point in any 2 other skills Sometimes you’ll build a character but later decide that a specialty
you chose just isn’t something you use. You may also run into that
Add the skills grouped under an attribute to determine problem with augments or other aspects of your character. When
your new attribute score this happens, you feel the need to retrofit your character.
Learn 1 new specialty Retrofitting Specialties: You may retrofit one specialty
every time you gain an action point (thus, at levels 4, 8, and 12).
Apply that specialty’s granted bonuses You may delete one specialty and gain a new one. However, that
Action Point Increase: If you’re reaching 4th, 8th, or 12th new specialty must fall in the same attribute as the previous spe-
level, your action points per turn increase by 1 cialty.
Retrofitting Augments: You may retrofit one augment
every time you learn a new augment. However, the replacement
Level 1 3 AP must come from the same skill as the one being replaced.
Level 4 4 AP Note to the Narrator:
Level 8 5 AP
c Further Retrofitting c
Level 12 6 AP
While we generally don’t encourage it, players may sometimes
ask to retrofit a character outside of our listed rules. To what
extent that they do so is up to you, and you have full control
over any retrofitting they do. If they can make a valid case for
the retrofitting, let them - let’s face it, nobody wants to play a
character they don’t like.
Just try not to let them completely destroy or rear-
range their character concept.

27
 Chapter 3

Races
Chapter 3
Races

Though humans have prospered and their metropolises dot the landscape across Tephra, there are five other known
races (though one has been bio-engineered and another is a forced evolution). With the tiny yet spiritually powerful
gnomes, the bio-engineered and rambunctious satyrs, the aquatic demons known as the ayodin, the powerful and
noble elves, or the elves with rebuilt souls known as farishtaas, humans have a long ways to go before they’re truly
the dominant species.

Racial Traits
Every race has a handful of racial traits. When you choose your
race, you gain those racial traits. You also get to randomly de-
termine a unique racial trait. Roll your die. The number is ap-
plied to the Random Racial Traits chart.

28 Gnome Satyr Ayodin Human Elf Farishtaa

Humans
Humans have spread quickly across the continent, originally as the powerful Haudi Empire, now as Evangless and
the many other human nations. Humans have set the standard on development and industry, and their touch can
be found in every corner of Tephra.
Long ago, the Haudi Empire rose quickly, conquering all known lands and enslaving the other races. The
Haudi Empire remained stable for several centuries and made much progress during its time. They enslaved the
gentle and mysterious gnomes, and, with their help, bio-engineered numerous creatures, the most successful of

Chapter 3
Races
which being the satyrs - a goat-legged people who would soon become a race in their own right.
But the Haudi Empire did not last. Now the Hauds are segmented across the continent, most still claiming
loyalty to their Empress. But the sun has faded on their
once overwhelming might. Random Racial Traits
In the past century, Evangless has risen to prom-
inence. With the help of their legendary founder, Velkya, Accustomed to the Dark: Fighting in dark conditions
doesn’t frustrate you as much as others. You take no penal-
Evangless pioneered the steam engine and raised the first 1 ties for fighting in poor lighting conditions. Blindness and
modern metropolises. Though it’s doubted that they’ll other environmental circumstances affect you normally.
ever reach the breadth of the Haudi Empire, Evangless Adaptable: Extreme environments barely bother you. You
spans the width of the continent, reaching from the west take no penalties for extreme heat, cold, humidity, or other
coast to the east. 2 such environmental effects due to your surrounding area.
While humans are transitioning, they are also (But if you’re hit by a glob of lava, it still hurts you nor-
quickly learning. Following the recent Hurricane Wars mally.)
with the underwater ayodins, the humans have learned Easily Reoriented: Always keeping a level head, you can
the trick to true flight and taken to the skies. 3 easily regain your bearings when disoriented. If you are
While human society is thriving, it is doing so at disoriented, you may spend 1 AP to reorient yourself rather
a price. The metropolises of humanity are surrounded than the normal 3 AP.
by the pollution of the so-called “cities of ash” where Emotionally Driven: Your loyalty, your rage, your passion:
industry has taken over. Abundance is the name of the 4 these emotions will pull you through your worst moments.
age, and technology is growing every day. And humans When a friend is endangered, you cannot begin a battle
fatigued.
will do everything they can to stay at the forefront of it
all. 5 Great Height: You are taller than other humans, giving you
more power behind your attacks. You gain a +2 to strike.
6 H ardy & Stout: People know that it’s going to take a lot to
take you down. You have 6 extra hit points.
Traits of a Human Momentum: Even in the seemingly calm moments, your
Speed: You have the average 25 foot movement speed. You 7 blood never stops boiling. When you know you are about to
take part in a battle, you gain a +5 on your priority. (You do
have a swim speed of 15 feet and a climbing speed of 15
feet. not gain this bonus when ambushed.)
Monkey’s Uncle: Evolutionists claim that humankind de-
Choose any two of the following 8 scended from apes, and you do nothing to prove them
Favored Attribute: Choose one attribute. Whenever you wrong. Your climb speed increases by 10 feet.
roll a 1 with that attribute, you may add your bonuses to Perceptive: You are quick to notice your environment.
the attribute. (This does not apply to the skills under that 9 Whenever rolling cunning to notice something, add a +4
attribute.) on to your result.
Innovative: You gain +1 DIY and +2 augments. (You
should only choose this option if you are starting off with 10 Q uick Feet: You’re fast… really fast. Your movement speed
across land is 35 feet instead of 25 feet.
a craft.)
Reactionary: You can quickly assess and react to a situ-
Peerless: Normally, the aggressor or instigator wins on all 11 ation. You gain a +3 on all priority rolls, even when taken
ties. You, however, always win on tied rolls. off-guard.
Relentless: You start with three more hit points. With Ruckus Rowser: You raise people up, exciting them. Some-
every specialty you take, you gain 1 more hit point.
12 times that’s good, sometimes that’s bad. You gain a +4
bonus on cunning rolls when attempting to intimidate or
provoke a person.
29
 Ayodin [ey-YO-den]
Seafarers have long been aware of the ocean-dwelling ayodin, with ancient myths and superstitious rituals sur-
rounding them. On occassion, merchant ships would barter and trade with a rare ayodin tribe, but it was an un-
usual occassion when many ayodin would make themselves known to the surface dwellers. Around a century ago,
however, ayodin began surfacing more and more. The people of the surface learned how the tribes
had begun to form nations, and then empires, deep under the waves. The unusual technologies
Chapter 3

of the deep mixed with the flames and metals of the land, and both peoples prospered. Yet
Races

something went awry, and the ayodin pulled back into the seas.
Seventeen years ago, in 826, a nation of ayodin rose from the Maselos Sea along the
eastern coast of Evangless. Millions of ayodin left their oceanic homes, fleeing to
the inland seas, and warning the Evanglessians and other surface nations of
an incoming threat. The Ayodin Exodus, as it would become known, was
the only warning the world had before the Hurricane Wars began.
The ayodin who left the ocean became known as the
freshwater ayodin, a people who left the empires of the
deep out of fear. They were opposed to the inva-
sion that the other ayodin were plotting against
the surface, and so they departed. On land, they
traded technologies with the surface peoples,
and, for that trade, were given territory.
The oceanic ayodin attacked, razing coastal
cities and claiming thousands of lives in the
first weeks of the Hurricane Wars. These wars
ended maritime shipping, and it was all the
freshwater ayodin could do to keep their oce-
anic brethren from attacking up-river.
It took eleven years for the Hurricane Wars
to draw to a close, though some persist that
they’ve never truly ended. Today, many
freshwater ayodin call Evangless and the
other surface nations home, though they
are deeply separated from the other citi-
zens. There is a deep divide in the ayodin
people, as the ayodin are the most feared,
demonized race in all of Tephra. They are
a stalwart, calm, and powerful people - and
for all of those reasons, often they are the
most deadly.

Physiology
The ayodin often look tiny and frail to humans,
who stand on average half a foot taller than them.
They are long and sleek-bodied, with legs and
arms that extend further than a human’s would.
Ayodin’s nail-less fingers and toes are quite long,
and some ayodin have toxins that run through
their fingertips that are not unlike those of jel-
lyfish.

30
 The most immediately noticeable feature, their wings,
extend from their mid-back and shoulderblades upward. On land, Excerpt from the 842 Census
these look like folded-in batwings. Underwater, however, they ex-
tend outwards, behind them, and between each of their wing’s 20 Most Common Male Names
filanges is a thin, colorful membrane often compared with that of Seath, Kova, Awuli, Holshin, Vasha, Zilya,
a jellyfish. These wing-fins are very strong and deceptively light. Caradoq, Shiyal, Eiran, Gwydion, Iyoan, Myrd-
Ayodin can support their bodies on their wings if they so choose. din, Meris, Kye, Frost, Roqui, Merkhan, Krovi,
Fully extended, an ayodin can bring its height up to over ten feet Quadan, Broj
tall.
Their faces are much like that of other races, and they 20 Most Common Female Names
can breath air as any other people. Small fins surround their faces, Tetra, Celebes, Gilkoroh, Angel, Molli, Ziema,
and these fins will stand up or lie back depending on their mood. Brina, Geadal, Coral, Kemara, Ira, Akacia, Calan-
Psychologists have noted how the ayodin keep their faces almost tha, Delphine, Krysanthe, Linnea, Xeni, Thal-
frighteningly passive, while their facial fins make them the most

Chapter 3
assa, Cliyona, Winter

Races
G
expressive race in the world (if you know how to read the signs).
Ayodin come in a miraculous spectrum of colors. The
freshwater ayodin are typically more mellow toned, with lighter Note: This pool of names was taken from fresh-
hues of blue and sea-green, colors that blend in well to the wa- water ayodin. Though no official data has been
ter. The deeper, oceanic ayodin are often more brightly colored,
with orange stripes, black skin, green spots, or any other colors collected, oceanic ayodin names tend to be
imaginable. Ayodin historians claim that color-evolution happens more unusual and include syllables difficult for
quickly among the ayodin people, with the skin color of grand- other tephrans to pronounce. There has been
parents looking nothing like that of their grandchildren. a trend among freshwater ayodin in combin-
Ayodin have gills on the underside of their ribcage. Due ing their ancestral names with common human
to discomfort, they rarely cover these gills, so their clothes tend to names they live near.
be shaped like harnesses or cover only their upper torso, leaving
their abdomens exposed.
Lifespans: Ayodin live just slightly longer than humans,

occassionally living as long as a full century. They reach maturity Roleplaying Tips
a little sooner as well, with most ayodin being considered adults There are a couple key things to remember when roleplaying an
by they time they’re just past ten years old. ayodin. Foremost, ayodin are quieter than other races. This can
be difficult in some groups, but try talking a lot and not caring if
you’re disregarded. Eventually, the rest of the group will clue in
Psychology and start listening. People instinctively want to listen to a person
who’s not talking loudly. And don’t be afraid to be a little creepy.
Ayodin are renowned for their calm, their willingness to let things Yet, while you’re soft-spoken, remember to return any
happen and then react. They let themselves get pushed, and then abuse you take. Ayodin may seem calm (and they are), but they’re
push back tenfold. These reactions cause people to reconsider calm in that “C’mon, keep on pushing, I dare you” sort-of-way.
their initial impressions of the “mild-mannered” ayodin. When nobody expects it, push back.
Ayodin are very soft-spoken, having lived their lives un- You are from the ocean, so your views on things may
derwater where the sound carries easier. Ayodin who have lived be a little alien. Feel free to play with this if you’re fresh out of
on land for quite some time adjust their voices to match those the sea - maybe you don’t recognize some metals, or you’re still
around them, but most ayodin will still speak quietly. Ayodin are largely unfamiliar with the concepts of open flame. Ayodin will
rarely talkers, and instead are a people of action. To them, un- also be territorial of bodies of water, so have some fun with that.
necessary communication is just that: unnecessary.
The vast majority of ayodin live underwater. Their hab-
itats range greatly, from coral reefs to island-sides to the dark p Sample Adventurers M
depths. Ayodin grow to prefer one style of water over others, be Below are three ayodin adventurers that you can use as inspira-
it saline or fresh, high pressure or low, lit or dark. Ayodin that live tion when creating your own.
on land always live near the coast or on a river.
Ayodin have mixed relations with every race. Many ayo-
din nations have declared war against ships in their territories, Frost
and these underwater nations are nearly impossible for cartogra- Frost grew up in a small lake-side village in Evangless, where he
phers to map out. This causes some major problems for shippers, spent most of his time trading with nearby Evanglessian estab-
and every race has run into issues with territorial ayodins. lishments. He was quick to pick up the language, as well as a
Ayodin can find kinship and differences with all of the couple others from traveling merchants, and became his village’s
races. They get along well with gnomes (who they left largely spokesperson. He became quite familiar with currency and en-
unscathed during the Hurricane Wars) and, surprisingly, Hauds. listed to become his village’s Trust representative. One summer,
Since the Hurricane Wars, relations between the oceanic ayodin a chemical company up-river started dumping its wastes into the
and Zelhost have openly blossomed, as each people find the other water supply, and many things went sour for Frost’s village. He
equally respectful. Ayodin will tolerate satyrs, but they have the found little that he could do, and - upset - took matters into his
most personality clashes. own hands. After breaking into the company and sabotaging their
operations, it was all Frost could do to escape with his life.

31
 Now Frost makes his living doing side-work, scams,
Ayodin Religions and using his knowledge of the Evanglessian monetary system
Though the ayodin believe in many things, and to classify to make his own living. His run in with the chemical company
any small sampling as “ayodin religions” would be a disser- taught him a lot about the thrill and anxiety of breaking the law,
vice to the numerous beliefs found underwater, there are a and its an addiction he fears he might soon bend to.
couple religions that are well known to the surface dwellers. Frost would probably have the following specialties:
The two most prevalent are Harabe Mavi and the followers Distract (under Showmanship), Distracting Attack (under Espio-
of Saint Gilkoroh. nage), and Weak Point (under Expertise).

Roiza Stormwings
Roiza was in one of the few ayodin clans to migrate north into
Harabe Mavi Dalvozzea, the nation of elves and farishtaas. She grew up in the
seedier side of Daion (Dalvozzea’s capital) until she was hired as
Chapter 3
Races

The traditional faith amongst many ayodin, those who be- a mercenary for a farishtaa noble. She served him for years and
lieve in Harabe Mavi believe that in ancient times ayodin eventually gained his personal interest. The farishtaa took Roiza
lived on the surface with other, now-extinct races. While the flying with him in his collection of ironbirds, and Roiza fell in
ayodin were a righteous people, the other races were sin- love with the sensation immediately.
ful and murderous. Aeon, the moon goddess, saw how the
other races preyed upon the proud ayodin. In retribution, Though Roiza would eventually leave the employ of the
Aeon crashed the moon into Tephra, wiping out all life on the farishtaa, she hadn’t yet had enough of flying. She’s now an ad-
surface. To protect the ayodin, she gave them fins and gills venturer for hire, known for her skill in the air and on the ground.
so they could swim to the ocean’s deepest depths in order She’s used to being surrounded by creatures much bigger and
to avoid the blast. Modern members of Harabe Mavi believe stronger than her (having grown up among elves), and has the
the surface belongs to the ayodin, since it was theirs until the personality to back it up.
moon’s impact forced them into the water. Roiza Stormwings would probably have the following
In many ways, Harabe Mavi is considered ancient specialties: Free Movement (under Agility), Driving with Knees
lore in ayodin culture more than it is a religion. So many take (under Ace), and Fight Anywhere (under Swashbuckling).
it for fact that it is rarely debated as a tenent of belief and is
instead left to historians to understand it. Vish’qua
Harabe Mavi was one of the leading factors in de- Vish’qua is a tough oceanic ayodin who has only recently come to
claring war upon the surface, which is why so many on the the surface. Though he’s a bit young to have fought in the Hur-
surface know of the religion. ricane Wars, he knew quite a few people who did, and he lost his
father in the war with Tordryon to the north. While he doesn’t
respect most of the surface dwellers, his mother and sister fled
to the surface near the end of the war. Now he follows, searching
for them.
Path of Gilkoroh He came brashly, and he probably would not have sur-
Saint Gilkoroh was a righteous ayodin woman who spent her vived without the care of some freshwater ayodin (aid which he
life doing good works and reaching out to unite the warring begrudgingly took). After regaining his strength, he left them to
ayodin clans with the the surface world. In her prime, she start searching, but has few clues to lead him forward.
was known as a resolute warrior who safeguarded those she Vish’qua would probably have the following special-
swam with. Among the speakers of Harabe Mavi, she was ties: Merciless (under Frenzy), Parting Waves (under Grace), and
well respected. Leading up to the Hurricane Wars, Gilkoroh Thick Skin (under Resilience).
spoke out against the planned invasion of the surface. She
p Sample NPCs M
was found, dead and battered, months before the Hurricane
Wars would begin.
Her martyrdom led to a fracturing of Harabe Mavi, Below are three ayodin non-player characters (NPCs) that a group
and those who followed her became known as the Path of of adventurers might run into on their travels.
Gilkoroh. Some touted that Gilkoroh was the avatar of Aeon,
the traditional moon goddess of Harabe Mavi. It was the fol- Ambra No-Fins
lowers of the Path and their kin that exiled themselves and
became the freshwater ayodin. After the Hurricane Wars, many oceanic ayodin came to Aldamiir,
Followers of the Path believe that everyone should looking for a new home. They claim that they were cast out of
have a fair chance at protecting themselves in time of cri- their homeland and told to join their cowardly freshwater breth-
sis. Though many in the Path are pacifists, others believe ren on the shore. One of them, Ambra, had her fins torturously
that the Path simply requires a warning against aggression. stripped of her before being exiled, and now works as fishmon-
For example, assassins who believe in her teachings carry an ger in the lower districts of Aldamiir. She’s a strong woman, and
extra weapon on them for their prey, so as to give them an many believe that she was a warrior during the wars. Today she
oppurtunity to protect themselves for fear that Gilkoroh or makes little and is treated poorly, but what she does make she
her ethereal servants, called Korohs, will smite them for their saves, hoping one day to have enough that she can find some way
misdeeds. of regaining both her wing-fins and her pride.

32
Mikhail
A true mesh of cultures, Mikhail was raised along the riverbank in
Traits of an Ayodin
the Evanglessian capital of Razule. He grew up without much in Amphibious: You can breath both on land and in water.
his pocket or his stomach. So when he came of age, Mikhail com- Speed: You have the average 25 foot movement speed. You
bined his knowledge of being a big city criminal with his family’s have a swim speed of 35 feet, and a climbing speed of 15
knowledge of the open seas, taking a profession that suited him feet.
wonderfully: piracy. Borrowing a skiff and taking his small-time
gang of thugs out on the high seas, this amphibious buccaneer Versatile Wing-Fins: Your wing-fins grant you a limber-
sees no fear in going down with his ship. Cold and merciless to ness to movement that few other races can cope with. You
those he raids, he isn’t known for taking prisoners. gain a +1 on evade rolls.

Quadan Random Racial Traits

Blindsense: You have developed a limited sense of echo-

Chapter 3
Living in an oceanview apartment in the Evanglessian city of

Races
Qui, Quadan is a successful merchant who brings the sights of 1 location. You can see with your ears just as well as you see
with your eyes. As long as you aren’t deafened, you can see
the ocean’s floor to land-dwellers. His primary trade is selling
beautiful seashells and other baubles of the sea to tourists. Known regardless of lighting conditions.
for his ayodin stoicism, attempting to barter with this avid poker
player will get you nowhere. Amicable and talkative, nothing ever 2 Bswimming.
orn in the Seas: None are as comfortable as you are while
Your swimming speed increases by 10 feet.
flusters this jovial entrepreneur.
Built-in Bulwark: You’ve become accustomed to defend-
3 ing against attacks through superior use of your fins. Your
fins can act as shields (allowing you to use them for deflec-
tions).
Expressive Flair: Your facial fins lend themselves to your
expressions, giving you an exuberance and range of ex-
4 pressions that few can match. You gain a +3 on cunning
rolls whenever attempting to convince or change people’s
emotions.
Inner Silence: The crashing of waves has no effect upon
5 your inner calm. You are beyond fear. You gain a +2 on
cunning rolls whenever under duress or being intimidated
or provoked.
Master Diving: Ayodins pioneered graviton technology,
and so in turn had to learn how to safely dive back into
6 water when they fell off a high-flying graviton airship. You
take no falling damage regardless of how far you fall as
long as you land in water.
Technology of the Deep 7 N atural Touch: Utilizing the poison your fingertips ex-
crete, your unarmed strikes have a damage class of 3.
The Ayodin Exodus of 826 led to many technological advanc-
es on the surface. The ayodin had long ago learned of gravi- Passive: Your inner calm and carefree demeanor allow you
ton spheres and were using them to control their vehicles’ 8 to let most problems simply roll off your back. You gain a
depths. A few years after the Hurricane Wars began, graviton +4 on your spirit rolls when using it as a resist.
spheres would be successfully used in airships, ushering in a Powerful Paralysis: The poison in your touch slows its
new era of airborne travel.
Ayodin are masters of water manipulation and travel.
9 target’s reaction time. Whenever you touch somebody, they
suffer a -3 on their next evade roll (this penalty will go away
The ayodin have re-routed entire underwater currents to cre- at the end of their next turn if not expended).
ate ocean highways. The Hurricane Wars were called such Terror from the Deep: At the ocean’s deepest depths it is
because of their ability to shift the tides, and, to a lesser
extent, weather patterns. 10 too dark to attack enemies at a distance. You have learned
to fight ferociously at close range. You gain a +3 on strike
Ayodin have found ways of creating flames underwa- rolls when attacking a foe adjacent to you. 
ter, building air-piping from the surface that leads down to
enclosed workspaces. Solid-form alchemy was created a few Vanguard: Ayodin culture breeds warriors who remain
decades ago, as liquid alchemy of the surface found little calm even in the most chaotic of battles. Your impassive
place underwater. Coral, stone, and fish-warping has contin- 11 attitude keeps your adjacent allies level-headed, granting
ued to be the primary source of tools for the ayodin, though them a +2 on evade rolls. This effect does not stack with
many new advances have been found. multiple holders of this story.
The ayodin use a currency system remarkably simi- Wings as Arms: Your wings are strong enough to hold one-
lar to that on land (though the currency was never converted 12 handed items in them. You cannot use them to hold any-
to paper money). As such, it’s not difficult for ayodin settle- thing two-handed even if you try to use both.
ments to trade and barter with surface dwellers.
33
 Elves
Elves aren’t your typical fallen angels.
Ancient murals depict the elves as upstanding, strong individuals that tower over all other races. Angelic,
their skin shined like the sun, with great feathered wings and halos. The religion of Jinzium teaches that elves
were once the rightful rulers of Tephra but lost favor with the gods. Though the exact details are lost, the effects
are obvious: today, elves are warped, bruise-colored creatures that survive meagerly in the forests. Some elves say
Chapter 3
Races

their souls are fractured as punishment for their ancestors’ hubris. With the recent rise of the farishtaas, scientists
are beginning to agree with the sentiment.
Elves are noble beings, haunted by a reputation that pins them as being inferior to the other races. Their
reputation paints them as slow, uncivilized creatures of the forest, but the stereotypes have been proven false time
and time again. Elves, roaming the vast plains and building their towns in deep jungles, are the oldest race of
Tephra. Though their society is not as advanced as that of the other races, elves are content being among the best
agriculturalists and hunters in the world. The comprehension of the natural world rivals that of even the gnomes,
though - unlike the gnomes - elves are less prone to changing the world’s course.

Physiology can be a scary sight indeed! Elves enjoy beauty and colors. Far-
ishtaas, who adorn themselves with blacks and whites, find the
Elves have enormous bodies more than capable of withstand- elves to be gaudy. Elves collect brightly colored stones and deco-
ing tough living in the wilderness. They build muscle rapidly, rate themselves with them.
and even the most lethargic of elves will still be powerful beings. Many elves are acutely aware of what they were. The
Elves have long arms, and many elves have an almost gorilla- surviving murals and statues of their ancient angelic civilization
like stoop. (A few elves develop the habit of knuckle-walking, act as constant reminders for elves. This is why it has been so
though it’s an old trait that most elves have stopped doing.) Elves easy for farishtaas to convince the elves that they are there to help,
will comfortably stand around six and a half feet tall. Sometimes to rescue, and to re-enlighten the elves. It is propaganda that the
elves who are surrounded by humans and farishtaas will force elves embrace, hoping to return to their former glory. Elves who
their posture more upright, making them both significantly taller line themselves up to become farishtaa know the risks involved,
and much more intimidating. Elves will weigh, on average, fifty to but they see the end-result and how much happier their former
a hundred pounds more than humans of the same size. elven comrades have become in their post-conversion life. They
Elves have long, narrow faces and great pointed ears live in denial of the fact that the process replaces them with a dif-
which extend to be over a foot long. Their skin is dark, the color ferent-yet-similar person.
often compared to the full spectrum of human bruising. Elves It is a common misconception that all elves live in deep
have eyes that are bright and primal, composed of dozens of jungles. The largest elven cities taken over by the farishtaas were,
fiery hues. Their hair comes in many shades, from the pale colors indeed, in the jungles and forests of central Rilausia, yet elves can
of their angelic ancestors to pitch black. It is typically dry and be found in most temperate environments, commonly on large
rough hair, and it grows low onto their back. They otherwise grow plains and sometimes in more hilly or mountainous areas. Some
relatively little body hair. elves, such as the Sunrage Elves in Izeda, live in the harshest parts
Lifespans: Elves live to be around 80 to 90 years old, of the desert.
though some grow significantly older. Elves grow fast and reach Among the other races, farishtaas have ensured that oth-
adulthood within twelve years. er peoples see elves as nothing more than inferior brutes. Howev-
er, gnomes and satyrs have stayed especially fond of elves and get
along with them famously. Elves are often seen as dangerous and
Psychology disruptive due to their size; however, elves are never mistrusted.
Most people see elves as incapable of betrayal.
Elves have an innate understanding of the world and nature, but
thanks to the discriminations of most major civilizations, almost
all elves forego what would be considered “book-smarts.” Excep-
tions do arise. If it weren’t for the acclaimed elven scholar Gi-
razza, the scientific marvel known as farishtaas would have never
come to be, as Girazza pioneered the science of bio-flux espe-
cially in regards to essence manipulation.
Elves are noble and caring beings, loyal to a fault. They
can be quick to anger when their loved ones are threatened; an
angry elf (especially one carrying something heavy and bladed)
34
 Anti-Elven Prejudices
Excerpt from the 842 Census Elves are the most common victims of undue prejudice in
Tephra. Their grotesque appearance and massive size have
20 Most Common Male Names led many people to fear or even hate them. This problem is
Phlox, Balam, Ahpel, Wej, Sugnil, Yanluk, Acat, only compounded upon by the fact that large populations
Sorrell, Qahlom, Berilo, Kalani, Ciyopa, Cedar, of elves shy away from human civilization, opting instead to
Tamarack, Dalzik, Itzamna, Rycrafi, Suufild, live as traditional hunters and gatherers in the High Rilau-
Kawil, Hevel sian Forest in Dalvozzea or among the Izedan caravans of
the Quist. This causes many young Tephrans to see elves
20 Most Common Female Names as a kind of boogeymen, existing just beyond their horizon
Kelan, Axani, Chloris, Nurit, Ruflina, Suri, Zahra, but still out of sight. Elves who do choose to spend their
Audhel, Vanora, Aximelka, Korvili, Enfys, Ami-
days in the countries of younger races are treated as second-
class citizens, not enjoying many of the same civil rights as

Chapter 3
Races
tola, Hadassah, Tirzah, Elysia, Elodie, Vallom- the other races. Elves often must use worse facilities and are
brosa, Eilat, Brier sometimes banned from certain events, high-class neighbor-
hoods, and restaurants.
The exception to this is the Highborne Elf, the re-
maining elven nobility whose royal blood heralds back to the
times of angelic elves. While far from being respected as
equals to their non-elven counterparts, they are held in high-
er regard than the average person. Few dare disrespect an elf
who can prove their Highborne lineage, most often through
a signet ring or brooch the elf refuses to remove.
Many elves have begun to migrate to Evangless, the
nation most known for its open-mindedness and accepting
culture. At least there they can bond with ayodin, a race dis-
criminated against because of their involvement with the
Hurricane Wars.

Roleplaying Tips
There are a couple primary options for roleplaying an elf. Some
will play an elf as a noble, intelligent creature fighting against the
slander of his race. On the other end, some people will choose to
play them like a strong but dumb brute. Many people will play in-
telligent elves just to contradict society’s unfounded stereotypes,
and some will play elves who have lost loved ones through far-
ishtaa conversion, just for the unique roleplaying opportunities.
An important decision for any elf is their stance on far-
ishtaa. Some elves see farishtaa as the next stage of life and evolu-
tion, while others see the sacrifice necessary to make the change
as an abomination of nature. This varies from elf to elf.

p Sample Adventurers M
Below are three elven adventurers that you can use as inspiration
when creating your own.

Acholata
Raised as a silent huntress, Acholata grew up eating only what
she could catch or kill with one of her arrows. As she grew she
became one of her tribes premiere huntresses and would often
led the hunt. One winter, her brother Hikano left the tribe with
enough spare coin to become a farishtaa. She received a letter a
few months later from Zevhel, a newly converted farishtaa - her
brother’s new personality. The letter invited her to Cyronia, where
he would pay for her to undergo the transformation.
Acholata joined her new brother, Zevhel, in Cyronia.
Over the few days she spent with him, she grew disgusted. Zevhel
was living a life of filth and nothing remained of Hikano, her
beloved brother. She vowed never to become a farishtaa, and she
35
 scorns all those who make the mistake.
Why Elves stay Elves Today, Acholata has experienced too much of Dalvozzea
In the last hundred years, wealthy elves have gone in droves and the hold that the farishtaas have over the nation. She’s ven-
to be converted into farishtaas. The core city of the conver- tured south, to Evangless, to put her skills to the test. Surely, she
sion process, Cyronia in Dalvozzea, on any given day will thought, a proven huntress and archer could find a way of living
have hundreds of newly converted farishtaas, and thousands in the civilized world.
of elves struggling to get by as they wait their turn. Yet not Acholata would probably have the following specialties:
all elves want to become farishtaas. Why? Efficient Ranger (under Marksmanship), Phase Step (under Agil-
ity), and Still as Stone (under Shamanism).

Dalzik
Lack of Resources Dalzik has always been a freedom fighter. When he was younger
Chapter 3

his Highborne parents paid for him to undergo the farishtaa con-
Races

Of course, the number one reason elves stay elves is because version process, but either something went wrong with the ma-
they can’t afford it. The farishtaa conversion process is be- chine or his body rejected it and Dalzik remained an elf. He took
coming more and more costly, and the wealth is being eaten that as a sign. Strong-willed and with some princes in his pocket,
up across Dalvozzea, the elven homeland. Most elves simply he took the best swordsmanship classes he could in the Daion
cannot afford the process, since the majority of elves live off universities, and, when Girazza rebelled during the Night of
sustenance farming or hunting and gathering. Feathers, joined in the fray (not that he had anything specifically
against the farishtaa government). After getting a taste of fun, he
went west, helping free satyr slaves in Siyesh, and thereafter went
south to Evangless, where he mingled with the Tharmurians and
gnomes who fell under the Evanglessian rule.
True to Themselves Part adventure seeker, part freedom fighter, Dalzik is a
It didn’t take long for elves to make the realization that the rebel without a cause. He’s constantly looking for something to
farishtaa conversion process does not leave the original per- do, some trouble to create, and he’s quite adept at getting peo-
sonality in tact. Sure, fragments of the original personality ple stirred up and getting fights going. And he’ll do it all with a
remain, but the original elf is difficult to find under the new smile.
farishtaa personality that emerges. Dalzik would probably have the following specialties:
Some elves consider this to be akin to death and re- Ace up my Sleeve (under Luck), Opening (under Swashbuckling),
fuse to go through the conversion process. Those who be- and Throw Off Balance (under Showmanship).
lieve that the conversion leads to death are sometimes chided
as being stubborn or hard-headed. That doesn’t change the
truth, however. None can deny that when an elf becomes a
Wej
farishtaa, the change is more than cosmetic - the entire per- Some elves wonder how they got the reputation for being dumb
son becomes something different. brutes. Then they meet Wej. Wej was born in a small tribe in
southern Dalvozzea and grew up as a hunter. Much of his tribe
migrated to Daion, a city that Wej always felt completely out of
place in. That is, until Wej got into a tussle with a couple outraged
mercenaries. That’s when Wej found his place in the world (and
proved it to everyone else in the pub): Wej was destined to bring
Rebellious people together. Through violence and broken skulls.
Many elves will choose not to become a farishtaa because Wej would probably have the following specialties:
they don’t support the hierarchy that has arisen around it. Adrenaline Surge (under Frenzy), Keep them Down (under Over-
Following the recent Night of Feathers rebellion and the re- power), and Fluid (under Brawl).
turn of the original Girazza, many elves left the capital and
surrounding towns and came to Adoipa, where they could
live without farishtaas ruling over them.
These elves have partially returned to their tribal
roots, but they’ve also embraced technology and many of
the new advances found throughout Dalvozzea. They are op-
posed to the farishtaas, believing them to be an abomination
of the angels they were supposed to be.

36
 p Sample NPCs M Traits of an Elf
Below are three elven non-player characters (NPCs) that a group Big Boned: You gain a +2 on all brute rolls.
of adventurers might run into on their travels.
Speed: You have an improved speed of 30 feet. You have a
swim speed of 20 feet, and an amazing climbing speed of
Enfys 30 feet.
Enfys is a lady-in-waiting in the white towers of Daion. For sever-
al years, she was employed as a waitress at a well-to-do restaurant Tough: You gain an additional 4 hit points.
in the undercanopy of Daion. She became the favorite waitress Tree-Ripping Strength: Unarmed attacks and melee weap-
of a farishtaa, and, a few months later, was offered a cushy job ons you wield are 1 damage class higher than normal.
working above the canopy. Despite her improved position, Enfys
has little love for her employer and receives a lot of information Weak Souls: You suffer a -3 on all rolls with the spirit at-
about his sometimes seedy dealings. If adventurers were to pull tribute (this does not apply to skills under spirit).

Chapter 3
Races
her aside and ask her to spill some private information about her Depleted Essence: Elves have one less slot for essence ma-
farishtaa master, it wouldn’t be a first for her. nipulations.
Phlox Random Racial Traits
Emulating his ancestors’ nomadic lifestyle and leaving civiliza- Gears of the World: You see how even the most insig-
tion behind, Phlox and his small band of elven comrades live as
hunters in the High Rilausian Forest. Hidden from view in the 1 nificant life fits into the larger ecosystem. You gain a +6
to Cunning when trying to discern if an area has recently
trees above and armed with little more than a sharpened stick, been disturbed by nonorganic forces.
Phlox has shut out all memory of his life as an indentured servant
in the service of a farishtaa merchant. While he misses the hustle 2 D anger Sense: You can sense incoming danger. You gain a
+3 on your priority.
and bustle of the city, the elf’s wild spirit refuses to be tied down
on cramped city streets any longer. Ears to the Heavens: Whenever attempting to hear some-
3 thing, you automatically score one tier higher than you
Professor Berilo roll.
As Professor Berilo looks out into the crowd of new students at
the onset of each semester, he reflects on the trials he underwent
4 Fincreasing
light without Wings: You move at an amazing sprint,
your base land speed by 10 feet (to 40 feet).
on the road to attaining his degree in alchemy. The Evanglessian Fruit of the Fallen: As a descendant of the angels of
university he attended had received few applications from elves,
much less seen one attain his doctorate. Of course, as a High- 5 yore, you have an indomitable spirit. You negate your Weak
Soul trait and gain a +3 on your spirit roll when using He-
borne and with his résumé, there was no way they could refuse roics.
him. Even now he sees students looking at him with disgust or
confusion. No matter; just like everyone, they will be in awe of Improperly Typecast: You prove that the stereotype of the
him after his lecture on acids. 6 dumb elf couldn’t be further from the truth. You gain a +2
on Cunning rolls when attempting to gather information.
Like the Grave: Elves are skilled and patient hunters who
7 are accustomed to remaining hidden in the same spot for
long periods of time. After being hidden for a full turn, you
gain a +5 to remaining unseen.
Noble Creature: The blood of the predator courses
8 through your veins, feeding you sweet adrenaline. For an
extra action point when attacking, you can gain a bonus to
Strike equal to your experience level.
Raging Loyalty: Whenever an adjacent ally is struck in
9 combat, you can make a melee attack against the assailant
as a reflexive attack if the assailant is within reach.
Tenacious Grip: If you get your hands onto something,
10 nothing can pry it away from you. Whenever you attempt
to remain holding onto something, you gain a +6 on the
roll.
Unstoppable: Despite whatever anyone throws at you, your
11 elven legs keep running. When you would normally suffer
a speed penalty for movement caused from a wound or
status effect, that penalty is reduced by 10 feet.
Vaulting Predator: Ancestors who leapt from tree to tree
while stalking prey have infused your elven physiology
12 with powerful legs capable of reaching incredible heights.
You gain 10 feet of movement when leaping forward and 2
feet of height when jumping vertically. 37
 Farishtaas [fah-rish-tuhz]

Farishtaas are the reborn embodiment of a lost angelic race believed to have once ruled over Tephra. A tall, keen-
thinking people, farishtaas are the end result of an elf having his soul restored to him. The elves have, for hundreds
if not thousands of years, known that they were once the most beloved, beautiful race in the lands, but something
caused their downfall. The elves became mutated, ugly, and - as they would later find out - possessing a fractured
soul. Through the relatively new bio-flux procedure known as synthetic essence insertion, an elf is able to be re-
Chapter 3
Races

born as a farishtaa, both graceful and cunning.

As their own species, farishtaas are only a little over a century old. The celebrated elven scientist, Girazza,
noted the absence of a biological chemical in the elves that he called “essence.” He developed a synthetic essence
that would bring elves up to the same essence levels as the other races. His assistant took the first injection, and
he went through the procedure soon thereafter. Girazza’s success was
extraordinary: he grew several feet taller and enormous white
wings sprouted from his back. Girazza took on the new name
Raviziel and heralded the rebirth of his race, the return of the
sacred farishtaas.
Though Girazza had long stated that it was a chem-
ical deficiency that turned the elves into abomina-
tions, the reborn Raviziel claimed that elves had bro-
ken souls, souls that could be repaired through science.
Few elves remained skeptical upon seeing the stunning
Raviziel flying overhead. Though the process was expen-
sive, many elves were giving up everything to become far-
ishtaas.
It soon became apparent that few elves have the re-
markable results that Girazza had when he became Ravi-
ziel. While all farishtaas become upright and graceful, few
farishtaas will ever grow wings or become the size of Ravi-
ziel. Nonetheless, few elves were discouraged.
While the farishtaas do change in mannerisms and
appearance, the most notable change comes through
in their personalities. After the process, very little
of the original elf’s personality remains in tact.
Many farishtaas say that this is part of the re-
birth, where the strongest and most important
parts of the elves’ original personality become
the dominant features and the rest is forfeited.
Many elves, however, claim that the process ef-
fectively kills the elf, leaving an entirely new be-
ing in its place.
Despite the sentiments, the rise of farishta-
as continues on. Today, thousands of elves wait
patiently for their chance to become farishtaas.
Farishtaas have become the ruling society in the
ancient elven homeland of Dalvozzea, and their
arts and influences are spreading across Tephra.
The farishtaas are the newest race, but they shall
not long remain the weakest race.

38
Physiology Personality Blender
Farishtaas retain some of their elven host’s characteristics, but While the physical changes an elf goes through when be-
not many. During the days following the synthetic essence inser- coming a farishtaa are obvious, the mental changes are often
tion, farishtaas’ spines straighten out, their blemishes disappear, more subtle. The conversion process scrambles the personal-
and their skin and hair change tones. The entire spectrum of ity traits of the elf, some minor traits becoming prominent
human tones of hair and skin appear within the farishtaa race, as ones and vice-versa, while eliminating nearly all the far-
well as many other softer or metallic tones. Their ears thicken and ishtaa’s memories of their life in their previous body. While
extend to straight points. Most farishtaas are taller than six feet, most farishtaas can pass off as a reimagined version of their
and many will tower over normal humans. elf, many are so different that their elven family members
Although a newborn farishtaa’s personality is a mangled find themselves unable to recognize anything about their
amalgamation of the former elf, appearance and age don’t always former loved-one. This is by far the most dangerous aspect
correlate with farishtaa. Sometimes a highly mature personality of creating a farishtaa, as once latent violent tendencies can
surface, unleashing a brutal force onto the streets that no

Chapter 3
forms inside a young elf, or a childish being is created through

Races
an older elf. While most farishtaas seem to match the maturity of scientist could have predicted.
the elf used, this formula is not always an accurate predictor. A The most common unexpected trait farishtaas ex-
newborn farishtaa knows everything their elf knew without hav- hibit is a personality tick: hardly noticable unconcious ac-
ing any of their memories. tions a farishtaa will only act out on occasion. Below are
Lifespan: As the farishtaa race is still young, it is dif- some of the most populous personality ticks, in no particular
ficult to ascertain their normal lifespans. Many of the original order.
farishtaas are still alive, though looking quite weathered. Scien- Confusing the names of close associates with those
tists are claming that a farishtaa will have an average lifespan of complete strangers
of around 150 years (especially if the elf is young when he un-
dergoes the conversion procedure). The winged farishtaas have Nonviolent mood swings lasting just a few seconds
shown virtually no signs of aging, however, and many believe that
they are almost immortal. Looking at a non-elf and seeing an elf instead
It has only been in the recent years that second genera- Random bursts of laughter
tion farishtaas have begun to occur. For the farishtaas’ first century,
it was believed that farishtaas were infertile. Recently farishtaa Delusions of hearing the voice of their old self
parents have begun having children. Some of these children are Viciously scratching at their own skin
born elves, but most are born as farishtaas. (The elven children will
often go through the synthetic essence insertion soon after birth.) Entering a trance-state after glancing at the sky
Their growth rates vary extraordinarily - some will mature within
ten years, while others, especially among the first second-genera- Fixation on attaining something they cannot have
tion farishtaas, have taken up to thirty years to reach maturity.
regime through peaceful protest, violent riots, and everything in
between. A growing number of younger farishtaas have begun to
Psychology join the elven cry for freedom, and these farishtaas are showing
elves more and more respect. Still most elves see the farishtaas as
Farishtaas are unique among the other tephran races, as their cul- being worthy of praise bordering on worship. These social shack-
ture developed in round-about ways. They desire companionship, les have kept the elves from enjoying the same privileges as other
though their friendships tend to be less based on loyalty than races for many years.
friendships among other races. They form large rings of friends, A very rare elf will undergo the synthetic essence inser-
and sometimes even marry if they find another farishtaa they tion and become a winged farishtaa. These winged farishtaas are
have an immense connection with. known as the Day Society, and they guide the other farishtaas as
Farishtaas value life and freedom. They keep immaculate though they are the sun. When a winged farishtaa is born, it is a
care of their bodies, as farishtaas truly see their bodies as their day of celebration across Dalvozzea, and the winged farishtaas
temples. When a farishtaa comes into being, except in very rare rule over farishtaas and elves with almost no question.
circumstances, they feel an intense connection with the sky. They Farishtaa tend to mix well with the other races. They
love open-air architecture and hate to be constantly cramped into are sometimes viewed as evil by gnomes, who have always been
one small area. They are considered to be the best pilots in the close to the elves. Yet even this does not strain relations between
world; their natural love of the air allows them to understand the them (especially since gnomes are known for their forgiveness).
way the wind flows. Most farishtaa dress themselves in all black Farishtaas are also known to marry humans on occasion, though
and white and maybe one splash of color in order to distance this is often less well-received in their respective societies.
themselves from the elves’ colorful and gaudy wardrobes.
Most farishtaas look down upon the elves, seeing them
either as vessels for future farishtaas or as expendable creatures
that deserve a lowlier existence. Farishtaas have taken control over Roleplaying Tips
the upper strata of elven society, and even the lowliest of farishta- While farishtaas do have similar traits, each farishtaa will have a
as are often given preferential treatment over the most respected different, almost defining trait to their personality. The dominant
of elves. personality that surfaces with the creation of the farishtaa can be
Things are changing, however, as not all elves are tak- just about anything. Some farishtaas are so warped in the process
ing this treatment laying down anymore. Many fight the farishtaa that they become slightly insane, or their personality becomes
highly obsessed with certain values and ideologies. In any case,
39
 as a farishtaa you have plenty of leeway to keep people guessing hours undergoing the usually painful physical transformation
what you’re going to do next. without noticing the pain, as he was enthralled by the technolo-
Farishtaas are often proud and a bit lofty. You’ll likely gies in the procedure room. He had to be physically escorted out
appreciate beauty and life more than anyone else and have no of the laboratory in order for them to work with the next patient.
shame in showing it. Farishtaas hold their bodies to be their tem- Lysandros’s obsession with bio-flux continued. He
ples, valuing their own beauty, grace, and poise. Farishtaas will fit
quickly read (and grew bored with) everything he could find on
in well among nobility and take well to grazing about, lounging, the subject. He then began traveling around, talking with any
and enjoying the fruits of the world. However, their obsessions scientists he could find. He worked for a time, helping administer
can keep them motivated and working far longer than any other the synthetic essence insertion. Yet even that could not keep him
race. fully distracted.
So Lysandros left Dalvozzea, hoping he could learn more
p Sample Adventurers M from the humans who scorned bio-flux as an evil science, or the
gnomes who were basically born knowing bio-flux, or the satyrs
Chapter 3
Races

Below are three farishtaa adventurers that you can use as inspira- who were genetically built using the same principles as bio-flux.
tion when creating your own. He left home so he could study bio-flux, and he plans on doing
so no matter what gets in his way.
Dio Lysandros would probably have the following special-
ties: Bio-Invigoration, Bio-Zapper Developer, and Manipulate Es-
When Dio emerged from the farishtaa conversion procedure, his sence (all of which are under Bio-Flux).
doctors said that he was one of their easiest procedures to date.

M
Dio was quiet, didn’t struggle, and remained in complete control
throughout the normally excrutiating conversion. When he left
the laboratory, he even recognized and greeted, by name, his old p Sample NPCs
elven friends - an action almost unheard of among new farishta- Below are three farishtaa non-player characters (NPCs) that a
as. Yet he did not linger for long. The conversion had given him group of adventurers might run into on their travels.
a new insight into his own soul, a soul that was broken, undisci-
plined, and in need of training. Jesha
Dio refused to settle down. He moved from city to city, Jesha was a poor elf when she became a farishtaa, and she has
seeking knowledge and training. He’s well known for his silence since had to work hard to pay off her debts. She works helping
and focus. His drive to master himself is an obsession that makes farishtaas have a smooth transition from elf to farishtaa, working
other people’s life goals look like passing hobbies. with patients after they’ve undergone the synthetic essence inser-
Dio would probably have the following specialties: Inner tion procedure. Most notably, she helps farishtaas choose their
calm (under Grace), Iron Palm (under Grace), and Thick Skin new name. Many years ago, the newborn farishtaa Raviziel cre-
(under Resilience). ated the custom of choosing a new name to signify a farishtaa’s
rebirth. Jesha takes notes of those new names and helps farishta-
Hephaeron as choose their new one (though ultimately her opinion is rarely
used).
One of the rare and prized second generation farishtaas, Hep-
haeron was born a prince among the farishtaas. His father is the
head of the Erathos Legacy, making Hephaeron heir to a vast Osyra
fortune and much respect. Osyra is one of the most frightening farishtaas in Dalvozzea.
Hephaeron took to the Hunt like most young farishtaas. When she walks the streets, her two enormous flails are always
The Hunt, as they call it, is the farishtaa sport of mounting zeph- drawn and dragging the ground behind her. Osyra has an im-
yrs (their personal-sized flyers, much like the Evanglessian iron- mensely important job: she is one of the top guards for the Nine
birds) and searching the skies for pirates and trespassing ships Wings of Divinity, the ruling council in Dalvozzea. She is both
to shoot down or claim. Hephaeron was immediately talented talented and frightening. She has decried most of the sinful life-
aboard his zephyr but was shot down after trying to show off styles that farishtaas partake in, instead devoting herself to en-
among his friends. They thought he was lost, but Hephaeron’s suring that the revolution known as the Night of Feathers never
crash left him barely alive. He pulled himself out of the wreckage occurs again and that no elf ever again thinks that it can rise
and made his way to a nearby elven village, where they aided him. above its farishtaa masters.
Feeling abandoned by his farishtaa friends, Hephaeron became
close with the elves, learning that these elves were disgusted by Pious the Knowledgeable
their treatment from most farishtaas. His heart going out to them, Pious is an ancient farishtaa; many believe he was among the
Hephaeron vowed to ensure that elves would be treated better in first hundred elves to make the conversion. He spent years as a
the future and took to the world to make true on his vow. professor among the white tower universities in Daion, teaching
Hephaeron would probably have the following special- students from all across the continent. Pious has long since re-
ties: Driving with Knees (under Ace), Knock-Off (under Marks- tired and is now an information broker of sorts. He’s constantly
manship), and Level Flying (under Ace). entertaining, having all sorts of people enjoying coffees and teas
with him in his open-air abode. He sells off his knowledge and
Lysandros theories; many people value him for his opinions almost more so
When Lysandros was reborn a farishtaa, he immediately fixated than they value his knowledge. Pious’s thoughts can be bought
on the room he was in. All of the unique bio-flux equipment, the fancy forthough
off him, he also appreciates a good trade. He has a special
foreign newspapers, which he collects.
unusual serums and devices - it all just enamored him. He spent
40
Traits of a Farishtaa
Born to be Airborne: Farishtaas begin with 2 skill points Become a Farishtaa Today!
in Ace (they may add their starting points there as per nor- Brought to you by: the Farishtaas-for-Farishtaas Foundation
mal). Good day, elves! Once you’re ready to leave your incomplete body
Speed: You have the average 25 foot movement speed. You behind to become the angel you were born to be, run, don’t walk,
have a swim speed of 15 feet and a climbing speed of 15 to your nearest farishtaa-conversion facility! A simple process, re-
feet. ally. All we use is a table to strap you to, a vat of synthetic essence,
a set of injection rods to ensure proper dispersal of solution, and
Piercing Scrutiny: Even in the heat of battle, farishtaas a board-certified farishtaa technician.
keep their calm and fixate on their target. This grants them
a +1 on their accuracy rolls. After signing in and paying off any fines, you will be
brought into the conversion room where you will be invited to lay
Unpredictable: Farishtaas can be difficult to anticipate and on our state-of-the-art conversion table. Sensors will be attached

Chapter 3
Races
manipulate. Whenever interacting with people, farishtaas to your body so your vital signs can be monitored, although we
gain a +2 on their cunning roll. assure you this is simply a formality set forth by our insurance
provider.* You’ll be tightly fastened down by your arms and legs
Random Racial Traits for your own safety. The technician then painlessly* inserts the
Botched Surgery: Though most people might not pick up foot-long injection rods into your body at various key points and
attaches the hoses at the ends of the rods into the tank of syn-
1 on it, your features are a bit more feral, a bit more elven,
than most farishtaas. You gain the Tree-Ripping Strength thetic essence.
and Weak Soul traits of an elf. After several hours of forced infusion that you’ll hardly
notice,* your body will go limp from the mental strain of your
Dancer’s Body: Your sleek farishtaa body is far more flex- personality becoming shuffled. During this time your body will
2 ible than any of the other races could ever hope for. You begin to shift and slim, your skin clearing up, with most of your
gain a +2 on your dexterity rolls. body hair falling out. A 10,000 watt bolt of electricity is adminis-
Emotional Unavailability: It’s not that you are courageous tered over time to your now-farishtaa body to complete the pro-
cess and to jump-start your unconcious mind. A welcome guide
3 or fearless - you simply don’t notice fear most of the time.
When you would be affected by fear, lower the fear effect meets your new persona at the door to help them through the
by 1 tier. (As such, you are immune to tier 1 fear effects.) paperwork accompanying birth, including the important steps of
selecting a name and being reintegrated into society.
Instant Motion: You’re always moving, always in motion,
4 and nothing catches you off-guard. You may spend 1 action *Our insurance provider forces us to inform you the farishtaa-conversion process is believed to be incredibly
painful, but honestly, your new farishtaa mind won’t even remember it! Yes, on occasion an elf has died before
point reflexively in order to gain a +8 on your priority roll the process was complete, but that’s a better end then continuing to live as an elf, right?
when combat begins.
Halo: You have an aura of light that slightly illuminates 10
5 feet around you and also creates a small amount of heat.
This effect is repressible at will and cannot overcome arti-
ficially created darkness (like that created by an item).
Unexplainable Memories: Your mind knows things that
Prominent Host: Your body exhibits some subtle charac- 11 you (in this life or your previous) could never possibly have
6 teristics of the elf it once was. Roll on the elven random learned. You gain a +2 on all cunning rolls.
racial traits to determine your trait.
Undeveloped Wings: Though you’re no member of the
Skin-Deep Values: Farishtaa culture values beauty, so you’ve winged Day Society, your synthetic essence had a little
7 learned how to protect your appearance. You gain a +2 to
evade and resist called shots to your head, eyes, and ears. 12 more punch than the normal batch. You have small wings
that make you lighter than air. Unless bound, unconscious,
Spirit of the Angels: Your will is strong. If you roll a 1 with or in inclement weather, you take no falling damage as
your wings will gently guide you to the ground.
8 the spirit attribute, you may still add any bonuses to it as if
it were a normal roll. (This does not apply to skills under
the spirit attribute.)
Superiority Complex: You exude an aura of pure, unstop-
9 pable confidence regardless of how hesitant you really are.
You cause foes adjacent to you to doubt themselves. Foes
adjacent to you suffer a -2 on their defense rolls.
Tinge Of Insanity: Ever-so-often a farishtaa surgery has a
few unexpected psychological side-effects. While it most
10 likely doesn’t affect you at all in your daily life, your mental
quirks begin to come out after a harsh beating. Whenever
you have lost all your hit points, you recieve a +4 to both
accuracy and strike.

41
 Gnomes
The sly gnomes are, by far, the shortest people in the world, rarely standing much over two feet tall. As some would
say, their small stature keeps them closer to nature than the taller, loftier races. They have a knack for all things
natural, a quickness to their wit, and, though their physical prowess doesn’t touch that of the other races, gnomes
make up for it with their mental faculties.
For as long as any can remember, the gnomes have flourished as a hidden race. Keeping to themselves and
Chapter 3
Races

rarely wishing to interact with strangers, the gnomes built underground towns, nestled their homes within hills in
the forests, and chose locations that few would find reason to venture to. Yet times changed, and the rise of the
Haudi Empire saw the downfall of the gnomes’ quiet lifestyles. The gnomes were enslaved, and their keen minds
and understanding with nature was put to quick work for the Hauds. With the gnomish scientists serving them,
the Hauds were able to develop numerous creatures and begin bio-engineering new races, the most successful of
which being the satyrs.
Today, centuries after gnomes have gained their freedom from the falling Haudi Empire, gnomes have been
unable to recapture their old, solitary lives. Though gnomes do, perhaps out of habit or old traditions, take many
steps to disguise their cities, many gnomes are outright and open about themselves now-a-days. Numerous gnom-
ish communities thrive on the outskirts of other cities, and these communities can often be hubs for unusual pieces
of technology and wonders not found in any other race’s homes.

Physiology Younger gnomes are more likely to be hot-headed, but

the elders become very close with nature. Gnomes in their twi-
Gnomes are exceptionally short, but their small stature is made light years can spend weeks in a forest, just communing with
up for with a large presence. The proportions on gnomes are often nature. All gnomes are close with nature, understanding it better
very similar to that of a human - they are small, but not stubby. than any other race. This understanding can sometimes build re-
Their hair and skin color is the same pigment range as humans, sentment toward other races, as the gnomes refuse to allow for the
though red hair is much more common. Their eyes come in many destructive industrialization that other races push for. Gnomes
hues, but always have a glassy or crystalline look to them. Some deeply believe that industrialization can come with nature’s good
gnome’s eyes flash brightly in the sunlight, looking like blinking, graces, and they push for their technology to prove it.
red lights from a distance. Rolling hills and sparse forests are gnomes’ favorite plac-
Their eyes are their strongest features, as gnomish eyes es to live, though many also favor mountains and denser forests.
are the best eyes in the world. They have the ability to pick out When gnomes aren’t living in pocket communities outside larger
details at a far distance, and some gnomes can even “bend” their cities, gnomes will often choose villages that are easily secluded
sight around angles, a skill they find easy. However, this often and difficult to find.
stretches out their sight, and many gnomes are intensely far- Gnomish communities are often very close. They will
sighted. For centuries gnomes have perfected spectacles, goggles, share farmland, dispense with currencies, and almost entirely
and monocles for reading up close, one of their greatest weak- ignore each other’s privacy. Strangers to these small communi-
nesses. ties, however, are entirely unwelcome and ousted quickly. The
Lifespans: Gnomes have the longest lifespans of any occasional gnomish city, often created out of necessity more-so
race, living to be almost 200 years old. Gnomes reach adulthood than want, will look nothing like a gnomish community. Gnomish
at around 30 years, as it takes a while for their bodies to mature. cities are larger affairs (though small by nature), with intricate
Surprisingly, however, it only takes a year or so from birth for building complexes and roads that are terribly difficult to navi-
gnomes to mentally mature to the point where they can talk, read, gate. Gnomish cities will often look grown, with houses made out
and interact with people at the same level as human teenagers. of woven wood trees everywhere.
Gnomes are a loving, carefree race of people that of-
ten want almost nothing to do with any other race. Gnomes that
Psychology live in non-gnome nations, however, will treat most races equally.
Gnomes will even treat the Hauds, who gnomes have had a long
Gnomes are often kind, big-hearted people. They’ll go out of and violent relationship with, with respect until the Haud proves
their way for their neighbors and are always willing to treat their otherwise. Gnomes are especially close with satyrs and elves, who
guests well. However, an angry gnome is one out for vengeance, gnomes see as the most earthly and wise of the races. While most
and vengeance can be ugly. Gnomes are deceptive and fond of gnomes won’t say anything, they are often at least slightly dis-
tricks, only letting people know what they need to know. Some gusted by farishtaas, as they fear the methods behind their cre-
gnomes are pathological liars and thieves yet seem entirely polite ation.
until caught.
42
Roleplaying Tips ter, and is now going about, looking for his betters, hoping to find
the newest whatchamacallit or gizmo, and always tinkering with
Gnomes come in two varieties - those gnomes who have grown his automatons.
up in hidden pocket communities, and gnomes who have lived on Wegdo the Sufficient would probably have the following
the fringe of larger, more diverse societies. The reclusive gnomes specialties: Learn Augments (under Sciences), Steam-Powered
will be more shy, less willing to deal with strangers, but also more Crafter (under Automata), and Trinket Crafter (under Gadgetry).
likely to be nice and aim for non-violent means of solving dis-
putes.
The most outward gnomes, on the other hand, are likely Metal-Deranged
to be more hot-headed, more rambunctious, and more willing to Gnomes love nature, the woods, and everything the world
say whatever is necessary to get what he wants. Gnomes can be provides to them. The naturally occuring ores and metals
magnificent liars, and these gnomes won’t hide that fact. help the gnomes construct greater machines and tools, but
Either way, your gnome is going to be very close with gnomes rarely use excessive amounts of worked metals in

Chapter 3
Races
nature. The gnomish “methods,” or the ways the gnomes com- their creations. Many gnomes who have been embraced by
municate with the earth, are very close to the gnomes. Gnomes human society, however, switch their allegiances away from
will build things differently, and they won’t be a fan of fire- and the organic woods and vegetation and instead bond with
steel-driven industry. If you’re playing a gnome, don’t be afraid to metals. These gnomes are called metal-deranged.
get into a fight, but do understand that there are consequences to
that fight. Metal-deranged gnomes often speak with their metal
creation, softly warping the metal with their brushing hands,

p Sample Adventurers M
and use almost exclusively large, metal tools. The most com-
mon metal-deranged gnomes will be machinists, working on
oversized metal automatons or enormous metal artillery or
Below are three gnomish adventurers that you can use as inspira- monstrous metal-armored vehicles.
tion when creating your own.
Metal-deranged gnomes forsake many of their gnom-
ish traits, becoming loud, excessive, and often-times obsessed
Jari Hungoo with material values, trinkets, and taking things apart. They
Jari might have been born in a home that many would describe rarely value staying hidden, as many gnomes do, and many
as nothing more than a cave, but Jari’s always been on the look metal-deranged gnomes can be rude, self-centered, and pay
out for ways to go up, up, up! He habitually hangs out with ruf- little mind to others. Whereas most gnomes are known for
fians, true, but Jari Hungoo likes good people, tasty and sweet their hospitality and their inability to keep grudges, metal-
liquors, and making an honest prince. Jari’s a bit of a fighter, deranged gnomes are the exact opposite.
scanty and quick, who makes good use of pushing his enemies’ Until recently, metal-deranged gnomes have been
weight against them. rare. A few were written about during the reign of the Haudi
Jari will be quick to admit that he’s a recovering gambler Empire when gnomes served under the Hauds. Today how-
(but a good one!). He uses the phrase, “two sides of the same ever, metal-deranged gnomes are everywhere. The mental
coin,” with great frequency and little discretion. Jari is dedicated disorder (as normal gnomes are prone to think of it as) has
to improving his life and that of his future family, whenever he’s become widespread, and many humans, especially Evangles-
lucky enough to meet that right gal. He’s got a big personality, sians, have come to think that metal-deranged gnomes are
and he’s not afraid to show it. the norm, not the exception.
Jari Hungoo would probably have the following special-
ties: Bone-Breaker (under Brawl), Dirty Fighting (under Brawl),
and Hex (under Luck).

Wegdo the Sufficient

From an early age, everybody knew that Wegdo was going to
be metal-deranged. His family of traveling merchants went from
town to town, selling their wares, and all Wegdo would ever do is
look for the newest contraption or greatest doodad. Wegdo was
so hyper-active that his family barely knew what to do with him,
up until they came to a town where a local automaton forger was
looking for an apprentice. Wegdo was quick to apply (and his
family vibrantly consented).
Though many wanted to be the old automaton forger’s
apprentice, the man eventually made his decision, having sighed
and looked at the gnome, “Fine, you’ll be sufficient.” Ever since
then, Wegdo has gleefully (sometimes bitterly, depending on his
mood) called himself Wegdo the Sufficient.
But two wars and several decades later, Wegdo’s automa-
tons are no longer merely sufficient. Wegdo loves to make the
biggest, craziest, most maniacal automatons possible. He special-
izes in steamers, making enormous steam-powered automatons
that he walks around in. Wegdo has long since surpassed his mas-
43
 Sandra N. Griffiths III
Sandra comes from a long line of gnomish rangers who served
p Sample NPCs M
as the Siddeodru border guard. She was born after Siddeodru fell Below are three gnomish non-player characters (NPCs) that a
to Evangless, but she valued her family’s lineage and her birth- group of adventurers might run into on their travels.
right. She grew up with an artificially overgrown wolfhound by
her side named Whitethorn. Whitethorn grew large and became Bildra Hogglezards
her mount while Sandra learned the old gnomish ways of the bow Professor Hogglezards is an old, paranoid woman who has a habit
and the hunt. of running to her wooden cottage (desperately far from civiliza-
Sandra joined the Evanglessian army as a ranger and tion) and hiding. She’s an old Siddeodruid who was young during
scout during the civil war, siding with the militarists. She spent the razing of her town. The shock left her jittery.
much of her time alone looking for enemy automaton move- Regardless of her setbacks, Bildra Hogglezards is a well
ments. After the war, and with the militarist loss, she tried to leave respected lecturer and one of the foremost craftswomen in wood-
her reclusive ways. Sandra spent some time as mercenary, though en rifles and stocks. She knows quite a bit about the different
Chapter 3
Races

it was an uphill battle having to prove that she could be just as ways to grow wood and carving it for firearms. In fact, she has
efficient with her bow and wolfhound mount as others could be quite a few examples stored in her hard-to-find cottage, just in
with their firearms. case anybody spooks her.
Sandra N. Griffith III would probably have the following
specialties: Efficient Ranger (under Marksmanship), Flesh Biter Maddock
(under Marksmanship), and Quick Mount (under Ace).
With a temper as short as he is, Maddock is a rambunctious
gnome who has learned to surround himself with larger friends
who will back him up when he inevitably ends up in a brawl. His
elderly uncle berates him to learn to control his anger, trying to
get the quarrelsome scamp to relax himself in nature’s embrace.
Far too impatient for sitting calmly in the middle of the woods,
Maddock shows no intention of changing his ways.

Reiner
Reiner made his fortune mass-producing prosthetic limbs for sol-
diers on both sides of Evangless’ recent civil war. Rich beyond
his wildest dreams, the stout gnome built an impressive estate
just outside Evangless’ capital, Razule. Set on enjoying his new-
found retirement, he spends his time hosting week-long banquets
for friends and nobles alike. Always the life of the party, Reiner
proves the size of your heart outweighs the size of your body.

44
Traits of a Gnome Parts of Nature: You may speak with nature, and nature
will lend you its aid. You may, for 3 action points, request
Small Stature: Gnomes gain a +1 on evade rolls. a tree or the earth to lend you a piece of itself. Your draw
a simple tool out of a tree or a patch of dirt, coming in
Greater Spirit: Gnomes gain a +3 on Spirit rolls. 7 the shape of a light (or smaller) weapon, a tool such as a
Light Build: Gnomes suffer a -2 on Brute rolls. hammer or wrench, a torch, or any other light-sized ba-
sic equipment. This does not warp or deplete the wood or
Speed: You have the lower 15 foot movement speed. You earth that the item was drawn from, and that area of nature
have a swim speed of 10 feet and a climbing speed of 10 cannot lend a piece of itself again for quite some time.
feet. Piercing Sight: You can see a fly 300 feet away simply by
Smaller Weapons: Because of their comparable size, focusing in on it, and this ungodly sight has given you a
gnomes are too small to conceal light weapons on their 8 great precision with ranged weapons. Whenever firing a
person. In addition, their smaller fists make their unarmed ranged weapon, you can shoot it twice as far as normal, and

Chapter 3
Races
attacks deal a damage class of 1. you gain a +2 on accuracy rolls with that weapon.
Random Racial Traits: In addition to rolling for their ran- Ripcord Muscles: Your powerful spirit flows through your
dom racial trait, gnomes may select one random racial trait 9 arms and into the items you carry. You negate your Light
Build trait and gain a +2 to strike. In addition, your un-
without rolling. If they roll the same story that they chose,
re-roll. armed attacks have a damage class of 2.
Waterwalk: You and water have reached a balance, allow-
Random Racial Traits ing you to stand on calm waters. For 1 action point every
Bend Sight: You can bend your sight - literally allowing 10 turn, you may stand on top of a body of water. If you cease
to spend that action point for even a turn, you fall into the
1 you to see around a wall, or over a building. You can bend
your sight up to 90 degrees. water. You cannot waterwalk while underwater - you must
first be above the water and then step onto it.
Deep Pockets: No one knows quite how you do it, but you
can make items significantly larger than yourself van- Windwalk: The wind is yours to control, and you may bor-
2 ish into thin air. You can conceal both light and medium row its power to glide across the ground. For 1 action point,
items. 11 you may windwalk in one direction 40 feet. You cannot
change direction during this windwalking. Windwalking
Earthshape: You can speak with the earth and ask it to does not allow you to fly - you are still walking on the
move for you. For 2 action points, you can cause the earth ground, though the wind is carrying your strides
3 to either raise or lower by 5 feet in a 5 foot area. Once
raised or lowered in such a way, it cannot be shaped by a 12 W ry: Your size and your limberness make you terribly dif-
ficult to hit. You gain an additional +1 on evade rolls.
gnome again until it naturally levels out (which will occur
within a couple days).
Feel the Earth: You can feel the earth through your skin,
knowing what it feels. While barefoot or in some way
touching solid ground, you can feel footsteps and other
things that cause the ground to vibrate within 15 feet. If
4 somebody is attempting to keep their footsteps hidden,
you and that person may attempt opposed cunning rolls.
If you win, you sense their location. This ability does not
negate any penalties you would take for being blind, but it
does tell you where enemies could be standing.
Growth Intensity: You have learned one of the gnome’s
most complicated arts - that of natural growth. This
growth allows you to, in almost an instant, grow to the size
5 of an elf. You must be standing on solid ground to do this,
and it requires one action point to switch between your two
sizes. While large, you use the racial traits of elves and lose
those of gnomes.
Noiseless: You walk as though you are on a pad of air, com-
pletely unheard. When you are sneaking, you are entirely
6 silent and cannot be heard due to your footsteps alone. You
still make noise from the equipment that you are carrying
and wear. When you are trying to sneak, you automatically
receive 1 tier higher.

45
 Satyrs
Satyrs are counted among the greatest successes from the long list of experiments that the Haudi Empire con-
ducted. The Haudi Empire, long obsessed with combining their own knowledge of science and alchemy with the
knowledge of nature’s inner workings that their gnomish slaves possessed, endeavored to create a race of slaves.
Many of their experiments failed, leading to a number of warped and horrible creatures, creatures that the Haudi
Empire - to this day - is still trying to entirely exterminate. Eventually the Haudi Empire would create the satyrs,
Chapter 3
Races

a race of people that are known for their speed, their empathy, and their loyalties. This servant race has not stayed
loyal to the Haudi Empire, though. Satyr rebellions added fuel to the fire, helped crack the unbreakable Haudi
Empire, and today most satyrs are free to do as they will.
The most common satyrs combine what, at first glance, look like the features of a goat with a human.
Though they’re bipedal, their legs look like those of a goat. Many satyrs will also have horns, but the sizes and
styles will vary from a small slight curve to large, spiraling horns.
Satyrs are found all over the continent now, having fully integrated with humans. Though there are still a
number of satyrs bound to slavery in the remnants of the Haudi Empire, most have escaped to free pastures. Satyrs
are common in Evangless, where they are largely seen as equals. Free satyrs, especially freeborn satyrs, tend to be
loud, rabble-rousing, and fun-loving. They drink all day and frequently share with their friends. Unfortunately for
their friends, satyrs are almost completely immune to the negative effects of alcohol, so it’s only their friends of
other races that are affected.
Well known for their fun spirit, their never-say-die attitudes, and their newfound love of freedom, satyrs
who have broken free from slavery make the best of it. Unfortunately, individual experiences can quickly alter the
satyr norm, as satyrs born into slavery can differ drastically from the easily excited freeborns.

Physiology small, fluffy tails, long whipping tails, or haired horse tails. These
unusual strains can come off as strange among the other races,
Satyrs are revised and altered humans, so many of their qualities but satyrs have a habit of accepting all satyr variations.
are those of humans. From their hair to their eyes to their body Satyrs are renowned for their speed. No other race can
types, they all run the gamut of human options. But satyrs are match a satyr step-for-step. Unfortunately, climbing and swim-
bio-engineered race, and their differences are pronounced. The ming tend to be problems for satyrs - actions best left to other
two most common differences are in the satyrs’ legs and horns. races. Satyrs get a wide variety of footwear and will often shave
Satyrs’ have the legs and hindquarters of a goat’s. They down or shape their hooves. Because satyrs tend to make a good
are typically covered in thin hair that matches that on the rest of deal of noise when they walk, many satyrs will wear padded or
their body. Like a human, their torso tends to be hairless or lightly leather shoes over their hooves to make themselves a little qui-
haired. eter.
Satyr horns come in a great many styles, and many times Satyrs are almost entirely immune to the effects of al-
satyrs will use the style of their horns to denote what region they cohol and resist other chemicals more easily. When originally de-
were born in or what “strain” they were born from. Some will have signed, the Haudi scientists added this function to make satyrs
tight spiraling horns, while others will stand straight up. Others more dependable workers. Because of their immunity, satyrs have
will have slightly sloping horns. They typically come out near or made a culture around alcohol, enjoying the beverages for their
behind the satyr’s temples. Female satyrs typically have smaller flavor rather than the mental effects.
horns than the males, but this is certainly not always the case. Lifespans: Satyr lifespans are almost identical to those
Satyrs will dress in many of the same styles that their of humans. Satyr children are commonly called satyrisci, and sa-
fellow nationals have. Satyr pants typically come taller and in bag- tyr children are typically much quieter than adults. Though it is
gier styles because of satyrs’ thicker thighs and hairier legs. Horn less common, older satyrs are called sileni. Sileni is often used as
decorations and piercings are common, though satyrs can still a title of respect in satyr communities.
feel through their horns and any significant alterations to their
horns can be quite painful.
Because satyrs were created and come from numerous
strains, satyr physiology can differ greatly. Some scientists will
drastically alter a satyr strain before creation, giving them un-
usual hair or eye colors, odd horns, or even slightly altered legs.
Though they are rare, some satyrs have tails. These tails might be
46
Psychology Culture of Alcohol
Satyrs have a reputation for being fun, easily excited, and hard- The Haud planned ahead. When they created the satyrs, they
working. The reputation isn’t always fitting, but there’s a good specifically examined the effects of alcohol on their sys-
deal of truth in it. They are naturally social, as they are perceptive tem. They didn’t want servants who would be impaired by
and empathetic to others. drinking, so they altered the way alcohol effected the satyrs’
Satyrs who are freeborn or have gained their freedom bloodstream. Alcohol does not impair satyrs; rather, it works
enjoy wide open spaces and a simple life. They are typically hap- like a mild stimulant. For a satyr, drinking a pint of ale is no
py as daily factory workers, as they are likely to spend their eve- different from a human drinking a cup of coffee.
nings enjoying themselves thoroughly. They don’t often give way Due to water sanitation problems, drinking ferment-
to depression. ed beverages became a mainstay among Hauds and their
Yet satyrs are emotional beings. They switch emotions servants. Satyrs almost exclusively drank ale and wine for
quickly, being both quick to anger and quick to forgiveness. hundreds of years, and, today, satyrs are known for carry-

Chapter 3
Races
Among satyrs, it is perfectly normal for one satyr to be badmouth- ing alcohol on them like other races carry canteens of water.
ing another, for them to have a heated argument, and to end the Satyrs are known for creating the best beverages, and carry-
night drinking together. That’s not to say that satyrs don’t hold ing satyr-made brews is a point of pride among taverns and
grudges, as many wonder if they’ll ever forgive the Haudi Em- pubs.
pire for their enslavement. But when somebody has apologized or
learned their lesson, satyrs easily move forward. In Evangless, the most popular alcoholic beverages
Satyr children, the satyrisci, are a quiet lot. They are sold in the public houses are all brewed by satyrs.
often overshadowed by the louder adults. It’s given rise to the Elympia Dark, a dark lager first brewed over two cen-
saying, “The devil’s in the horns.” In their teenage years, when turies ago by a satyr woman named Elympia in order to
a satyrisci starts to grow its horns, is the time that the wild and please her Haud master. He was so impressed that he
rambunctious side of the satyr will manifest. Satyrs tend to have had her brew more and more of it and started selling it.
rough (but exciting) teenage years. Eventually the family gained their freedom and started
Satyrs are exceptionally empathetic. Scientists debate selling it under the name of the original brewer.
whether satyrs are just very perceptive of others or if they share MacClairies, a fruity, orange wine brewed from the
a mental connection with other creatures, but satyrs are always rare orange grapes in Arudika. The MacClairies family
aware of people’s emotions. Because of this, people will often owned the first vinyards in Arudika, and so all orange
hire satyrs at jury hearings or to keep around when interrogating wines from Arudika are now known as MacClairies, re-
somebody. They can easily and accurately discern most lies. gardless of which vinyard they come from.
Satyrs are friends with humans and gnomes alike. They
easily blend in with human culture, and, despite their height dif- Empathy, a dark, red wine brewed in vinyards in south-
ferences, gnomes and satyrs often see eye-to-eye. Satyrs have a eastern Evangless near the Zelhost border, known as be-
great deal of difficulty relating to farishtaas. For some reason, ing the wine that people first use to celebrate marriages
farishtaas seem so alien to satyrs that satyrs can’t accurately read and the wine used to mourn deceased lovers.
them. High Caliber, a cheap spiced rum from Siyesh known
for having the most violent alcohol content of any liquor.
High Caliber has a reputation for causing numerous
riots, barfights, and wars. Regardless of its reputation,
High Caliber is a favorite drink among sky pirates, thugs,
and ruffians of all types.

47
 Roleplaying Tips body. Silas has started a fair number of businesses, and, through
some have been failures, he’s turned a good coin in his day.
A satyr will be excited and fast-talking. You might come from a A few years ago, Silas gained an interest in finding
slave background, where you either more appreciate your current ancient artifacts, especially elven and Izedan ones. He funded
freedom or you are stalwart and reserved from your tough days as a number of expeditions, eventually putting a very significant
a slave. If you were born free, you’re much more likely to be well amount of money behind a promising one. But the last expedi-
adjusted, though perhaps a bit garrulous and rambunctious. Sa- tion did not return, and Silas’s invested fortune was lost to him.
tyrs tend toward the braggart and the good-natured loud mouths When Silas heard of another expedition forming, he
and use a variety of skills and weapons. Satyrs are loving, but stepped in, both helping fund it but also requesting a place in
they’re equally quick to action. it. He couldn’t stand the idea of waiting at home; he wanted to

p Sample Adventurers M
be involved. And that, he says, was just the start of a number of
adventures Silas Caughey would find himself embroiled in.
Silas Caughey would probably have the following spe-
Chapter 3

Below are three satyr adventurers that you can use as inspiration
Races

cialties: Direct the Battle (under Tactical), Praise (under Show-

when creating your own. manship), and Weapon Appropriations (under Expertise).

p Sample NPCs M
Cassair Douglas
Cassair spent several years working as a courier in Aldamiir, de-
livering messages by hoof as fast as he could. He was well rec- Below are a few satyr non-player characters (NPCs) that a group
ognized for his speed and reliability. His messages were always of adventurers might run into on their travels.
delivered within a few hours and always to the hand of the recipi-
ent. Everything changed when, one day, he delivered a message Brian Brennus
right in the midst of a Brimstone assassination. In the heat of the
moment, his client hired him to get him out of there, and Cassair Sometimes people just need to talk to someone who can under-
escaped with the client out of the city. stand their feelings. For many people in Aldamiir, that someone is
Cassair’s face, however, was well remembered by the as- Brian Brennus: bartender of the Roaring Lion Pub. Brian’s natu-
sassin, and soon many Brimstones were after him. With no way ral empathy and reputation as a great listener have made him the
to return home, he took to the road, out-running his pursuers. favorite of regulars and newcomers alike. Bouncers know that
And, when he ran out of funds, he began taking whatever work when Brian is on the clock they have little to worry about, as the
he could gather. persuasive satyr knows quite a few tricks on how to calm an angry
patron.
Cassair Douglas would probably have the following spe-
cialties: Feeling Lucky (under Luck), Wall Runner (under Agility),
and Walk Over (under Agility). Druston of the Industrial Strain
The fear of every young cadet in Evangless’ army, Drustan is the
Monica Moinnine fiercest drill sergeant the military dares remember. Never seen
outside of his uniform, the grizzled veteran refuses to be found
People always used to joke that if you harmed one of Monica’s eating or sleeping in front of his men as it would make him ap-
flock, she’d bring down the fury of the heavens. Monica, who pear mortal. Drustan’s superiors love and fear him as none of his
worked at an orphanage in northern Evangless, was known both peers can produce the same quality killing machines as the infan-
for the fervor of her faith in the Beloved Mother of Tailemy as trymen who survive a week with the ever-furious satyr.
well as the conviction with which she watched over the children
in her care. And it wasn’t a few times that Monica would have to
leave the orphanage to get one of the boys out of trouble. Old Miss Macushla
One day she heard a rumor about a satyr boy - a boy who Macushla has spent her many years accomplishing many tasks.
had been adopted less than a year ago - who was being abused by She’s worked as a waitress, a seamstress, and even put in a few
his adopted human parents. Without a second thought, she made years at the factory. She and her husband kept orphans for several
her way across the countryside, found the small family manor, years, but they’ve mostly moved on and her husband passed away
and broke in. She found the boy, along with many others, tied up several years ago. It’s been in these last few years that Macushla
in cages in the barn. Her fury visited the adoptive parents, who feels like she’s found her true calling, as her house sits on a road
were barely left alive. just a little ways north of Zelhost. In fact, it’s perfectly situated
to taking in escaped satyr slaves and refugees and, if necessary,
Equally ashamed of her act of violence as she was hiding them for a few days. She’s had a few close calls with boun-
moved to ensure that there were no other children being treated ty hunters who have dared cross into Evanglessian territory, but
in such a way, she left the orphanage and made her way into the she’s not so attached to life that she’ll stop what she’s doing. And
world, fighting for the freedom of children everywhere. few satyr escapees pass by Old Miss Macushla’s cottage without
Monica Moinnine would probably have the following forever owing her their gratitude.
specialties: Greif & Hope (under Faith), Healing Halo (under
Faith), and Heavy-Handed (under Brawl).

Silas Caughey
Silas is a well known entrepreneur, both a serious and seriously
liked man. His grandfather was an escaped slave from Siyesh, in-
spiring Silas to make honest money and never be a servant to any-
48
 Traits of a Satyr
Alcohol Immunity: Satyrs are not negatively affected by
alcohol.
Speed: You have an amazing 35 foot movement speed. You
have a swim speed of 10 feet and a climbing speed of 10
feet.
Empathetic: When attempting to determine if somebody
is lying, you are allowed to roll twice and take the higher
result.
Random Racial Traits

Chapter 3
Races
1 Born Hero: When using Heroics (found under the Spirit
attribute), roll twice and take the higher result.
Brothers-in-Arms: The hardships the satyrs have under-
gone over the years has not broken them down but brought
Original Creation 2 them together in brotherhood. When you are adjacent to a
satyr ally, you both gain a +2 to accuracy. This effect does
Almost five hundred years ago the Haudi Empire was at its not stack if the other satyr also has this story.
height. They covered much of Rilausia, and both gnomes Built to Last: The Haudi Empire designed the satyrs for
and elves fell under the empire. The Haudi Empire had long
been the innovative force in alchemy, and the gnomes, mas- 3 harsh labor and thus made sure their creations wouldn’t
tire easily. You are no exception. You gain an additional 6
ters over nature and life, made a unique combination that the hit points.
Haudi Empire planned on cashing in on.
For years, the Haudi Empire worked alongside the Expecting the Worst: Your natural awareness of people’s
gnomes to create new races. They went through numerous 4 emotions gives you a good insight into when a situation’s
abominations before their first success: a warlike race called about to turn sour. You gain a +4 on priority rolls.
the manticores. Yet the manticores were impossible to con- Fleet of Foot: You’re one of the fastest creatures around.
trol, their bloodlust exceeding their ability to reason. The 5 Your movement speed increases by 10 feet, bringing your
Hauds recognized their failures and began working toward a 35 feet movement speed up to 45 feet.
new race.
Frightening Combatant: Your horns and hooves can be
The experimentations that followed led to the cre- 6 used as weapons. Your unarmed attacks have a damage
ation of satyrs. The satyrs were a race bred by combining class of 4.
the essence of the Satarrans, a nationality that the Haudi
Empire had almost wiped out during their subjugation, with Horned & Dangerous: You keep the ends of your horns
other animals - the most prominent of which being goats and 7 clean and sharp, making unarmed attacks with them deal 1
rams. point of unsoakable bleeding damage.
Over the years, various satyr strains were born, each Natural High: Alcohol is a stimulant for satyrs, not a de-
with slightly different combinations of animal essence and
in-born personalities. Yet the basic satyr formula remained 8 pressant. You can ignore the effects of fatigue if you’ve
consumed alcohol in the past few hours. If you remain fa-
largely the same, and satyrs became the most popular form tigued for more than a few days, even alcohol won’t help.
of servant throughout the Haudi Empire.
Poison Immunity: Your model was engineered to work with
9 hazardous chemicals. Whenever rolling to resist a poison
through Brute, your roll is one tier higher than it otherwise
would be.
Gaining Freedom Protector: The satyr culture has imprinted your mind
About three hundred years ago, the satyrs in Siyesh began a 10 with a compulsion to defend those close to you. All allies
rebellion, led by one of history’s most enigmatic and blood- adjacent to you gain a +2 to defense.
thirsty tacticians, a satyr named Arakrith. By the end of the Stable Hoofing: Your hooves are firm, catching the ground
rebellion, a new free nation of satyrs had been carved out of 11 with ease. You ignore the speed penalties for crossing mi-
northwest Rilausia, named after the rebellion’s leader. nor and unsteady rough terrains.
Over the years, even more satyrs have gained their Unphased by War: Though you sympathize with people’s
freedom from the Hauds. Many satyrs now live freely in
Evangless, where satyrs are the second most populace race. 12 fear of battle, the rush of the battlefield spurs you on.
When you are attempting to resist being stunned, you gain
There are still a lot of satyrs living as servants in Zelhost a +4 on the roll.
and Siyesh, but many escape their bonds and become free in
Evangless or other nations that do not accept slavery.

49
 Chapter 4

Context
Context
Chapter 4

Everything needs some context.

You need to put your character into the context of the world. The context is the setting, your nationality, a
religion, some organizations, it’s the world around you, it’s everything. This is the context of your adventure.
As you’re developing your character, you can use this chapter as much or as little as you’d like. There are
a ton of stories that you can choose from in here (take what you want!). If you just want to make a bland, back-
ground-free gun-toting maniac (and believe me, we all do), feel free to skip this chapter. For some depth to your
character, you can stop here for some context.
If your narrator has decided not to use the Tephra setting, then you can use this chapter for some ideas or
dismiss it entirely in favor of your narrator’s setting, nationalities, religions, and other such fun pieces of context.

50
Chapter 4
Context
 Evanglessians [ev-van-gles-ee-yuhnz]

The new capital of humanity, Evangless is growing quickly workforce is war veterans, whether it be middle-aged retirees
and thriving all the same. Less than a century old, Evangless who expanded their national borders in the Hurricane Wars
was founded by a brilliant woman named Velkya, who pio- or newcomers to the workforce who took sides during the
neered the steam engine and numerous other technologies Evanglessian Civil War. While far from being bloodthirsty or
that are still being deceiphered today. Her great cities set the savage, the people of Evangless often use their military ex-
foundation for an unshakable nation and her thoughts for a perience as a way of connecting with one another, using old
strong-willed, proud people. Evangless grew to its prime be- war stories as anecdotal banter during polite conversation.
fore the Hurricane Wars between the surface and the ocean- Evanglessians pride themselves on their skill in the art of
faring ayodin, and, despite numerous set-backs, the Evang- mannerly dialogue and generally will have trouble respond-
lessians still hold the center of the continent. ing positively to outlandish or violent behavior.
Context
Chapter 4

Evanglessians are typically fair skinned, some with

freckles. Their hair colors vary, but are often lighter shades
of brown, blond, and occassionally red. Their eyes, too, vary p Foreign Relations & Stereotypes M
between the lighter colors. Despite their gentlemanly demeanors and friendly attitudes,
The nation of Evangless has immense pride, power- the people of Evangless have some long-standing grudges.
ful industry, and a world-class railway system. The military Freshest on the list are the Paldoran exiles, especially those
of Evangless is, by far, the world’s most elite, and Evangless’s involved in piracy for their aerial empire. Some Evangles-
rather large population and control over the continent’s most sians distinguish between Paldoran pirates and Paldoran ref-
fertile lands helps cement their military dominance. ugees, but many discriminate against all those of Paldoran
descent.
Evangless has long been insecure with its relations
with the remnants of the Haudi Empire, who they consider A great deal of Hurricane Wars veterans, along with
a real threat. Yet even more so now, the airborne Paldorans their families, hate seawater ayodin for their declaration of
have become Evangless’s true menace, as the nation with- war on the surface. That being said, the great number of
out a homeland has largely chosen Evangless as its primary freshwater ayodin who stood beside them on the battlefield
raiding spot. And though Evangless’s own airborne navy is have quelled the chances of widespread ayodin prejudice.
powerful, it has yet to put any serious stop to Paldorus. Velkya stole the land she used to build Evangless
Meanwhile, the arts and culture of Evangless con- from the Haudi Empire, and over a century and a half later
tinue to strive on. The Evanglessians elite, almost all of Hauds and Evanglessians still bicker. Many Evanglessians
which are immeasurably wealthy industrial barons, have see Hauds as narrow-minded and stuck in the past, stating
spearheaded technological development and begun funding that the Haudi nations are far beyond their prime. However,
scientists whenever possible. Aether manipulation technol- Evanglessians and Hauds rarely act on their mutual distrust,
ogy has most quickly grown in Evangless since the aether other than the occasional alcohol-induced bar fight between
disaster befell Paldorus and crushed Paldorus’s astounding zealous patriots.
research speed. Evangless is the center of the human world, Evanglessians and Izedans have cooperated with
with technology, industry, and agriculture all uniting to form each other numerous times in the past. This coupled with
a thriving and cohesive culture. the large number of Izedan immigrants now living in Evan-
gless, the two cultures get along easily. The same is mostly
p Ethnic Traits M
true with Dalvozzeans as well. Evangless and Dalvozzea are
the two newest superpowers on the continent of Rilausia,
The people of Evangless, regardless of their race, are known but luckily the two of them have so far avoided stepping on
for their light-colored skin and their blonde to brunette hair, each others’ toes. Many farishtaa have immigrated to Evang-
their eyes varying from dark browns to greens to blues. less to see if they cannot rise above the caste society they
Evanglessians come in all shapes and sizes and as such were born into, some even opening farishtaa-conversion labs
have reputations for being vastly more open-minded about on Evanglessian soil, opening up business for any willing
strange customs than their neighboring countries. elf.
Evangless is a melting pot of the cultures of Rilau-
sia, although the people of Evangless have noticable com-
mon mannerisms. Evanglessians are polite and proper with-
out being weak-willed or prudish. They are a proud people
forged in the fires of conquest, although they remain young
and impressionable. A large majority of the Evanglessian

52
 p Nationality Stories M Ayodin of the Exodus a
Below are some nationality stories you can select. While most Nationality Story
adventurers will only have one (if any) of these stories, you might
find that several apply to you. Requires: Ayodin
You left the armies behind during the Hurricane Wars, joining
the “surfacers” in their fight against his genocide. You’re held in
R oyalist a high regard by Evanglessians old enough to remember yet young
enough to care.
Nationality Story
During the Civil War, you sided with the automaton armies of
Emperor Deylus Luthricien, and thus get along better with other
Royalists.

Militarist a
Nationality Story

Context
Chapter 4
While the Civil War was raging, you fought against the rise of the
current emperor, instead siding with the military coup and the
majority of the populous.

Veteran a
Nationality Story
You fought in the Civil War. Regardless of which side you were
on, you have plenty of war stories that allow you to entertain fel-
low Evanglessians.

Settler of the West a

Nationality Story
As a frontiersman out in the formerly gnome-occupied land of
Western Evangless you’ve spent some time with ranch animals.
You can easily calm and direct most forms of livestock.

Naturalized Tharmurian a
Nationality Story
Whether you welcomed them with open arms or scorned the ad-
vances of their army, Tharmuris and its people now bow to the
Evanglessian throne. Your white hair and pale complexion make
other Evanglessians see you as a foreigner.

Evanglessian Nobility a
Nationality Story
As a member of a noble house in Evangless you are given unre-
stricted access to government-run buildings, save those requiring
high levels of clearance.

Adopted by Evangless a
Nationality Story
You may not have been born here, but the open-minded culture
of Evangless has thoroughly assimilated you. You may have one
nationality story from a different nationality. If you previously
had more than one, you may choose which story to keep.

53
 Dalvozzeans [dal-vohz-zee-yuhnz]
Dalvozzea is the jewel of Rilausia, a nation which plays host
to the High Rilausia Forest, the dense jungle which covers p Foreign Relations & Stereotypes M
nearly the entire country, known for its scenic vistas. Dal- Dalvozzea is the newest of the Rilausian nations. This is a
vozzea is the only farishtaa-ruled nation in Rilausia, ruled task they accomplished without enemies outside the Haudi
by the Nine Wings of Divinity, the most elite members of Empire. Like Evangless, Dalvozzea stole their land from its
the farishtaa Day Society. They insure the elves never rise Haudi rulers. Unlike their southern neighbor, Dalvozzea
above their second-class status, cementing their national waged bloody war with the Hauds to gain their indepen-
power base. Dalvozzea is very inwardly focused, as almost dence. With Haud-ruled Siyesh on their western border, ten-
every city and region is self-sustaining. They have very little sions run deep between Dalvozzeans and Hauds from the
contact with their continental neighbors and many farishtaa motherland.
Context
Chapter 4

never leave their home cities. Dalvozzean patriots occasionally bicker with Ize-
The social structure of Dalvozzea focuses primarily dans. Used to the lush flora of the High Rilausian Forest,
on the farishtaa. Powerful members of the race known as the infamously well-educated Dalvozzeans see Izedan scav-
Day Society, a caste of winged farishtaa, rule absolutely over engers as ignorant people obsessed with useless ruins. Many
the Night Society, the average farishtaa. All farishtaa hold Izedans are staunchly against the farishtaa-conversion pro-
sway over the elves, which dwell at the bottom of the caste cess, another point of contension.
system. Only a few places in Dalvozzea are elven friendly: Some Dalvozzean youth are known to joke about the
Miadru and Adoipa, gnomish and elven settlements respec- quality of Evanglessian education, since most Evanglessian
tively. Adoipa holds the seat of Girazza, the elven scientist aristocrats send their spoiled-rotten offspring to Dalvozz-
who invented the farishtaa, who regrets his discovery deeply. ean universities. This stereotype fades with age, especially
Dalvozzea has little in the way of a standing mili- amongst Dalvozzeans who meet the numerous prim and
tary and relies primarily on mercenary components to sup- proper Evanglessians visiting their cities for business, vaca-
port their endeavors. Their airpower, though limited, is a tion, or school.
sight to behold, as farishtaas hold an innate talent for flight Dalvozzea isn’t known for its waterways, and as such
and aerial maneuvers and their vessels reflect those values. ayodin are a rare sight within its borders. Equally rare are
These elite pilots and their vessels guard the na- Paldorans; Dalvozzea is simply too far north for the Pal-
tion’s borders zealously with a sporting attitude, hunting air- dorans, pirates or otherwise, to conveniently reach. Most
ship pirates like noblemen on a foxhunt. Dalvozzeans have reacted to these facts by treating the ayo-
din and Paldorans they meet with upmost courtesy while
p Ethnic Traits M thinking themselves ambassadors for their people.
Internationally known for their chestnut skin, preconcieved
notions of Dalvozzeans changed with the creation of the p Daion M
commonly light-skinned farishtaa. Regardless of their race, Deep in the High Rilausian Forest, looming over the dense
the people of Dalvozzea are easily distinguishable by their green canopies, rises the white marble towers of Daion.
hair. Thin and wiry without being weak, Dalvozzean hair These towers form the homes for the farishtaas, the taller
comes in deep, dark shades of almost any imaginable color. towers homing the wealthiest farishtaas. The tallest tower
Dalvozzeans are also taller and more slender than the norm among them is Aeon’s Summit. Atop the summit the Nine
for their respective races. Wings of Divinity meet, the nine day-society farishtaas
Used to their caste-based society, Dalvozzeans treat that collectively govern Daion and the larger affairs of Dal-
those in authority positions with respect. The obvious ex- vozzea.
ception to this rule are the unknown number of Dalvozzeans The Day Society spends their time in comfort and
living outside of civilization in the High Rilausian Forest. laziness. These farishtaas overlook the forest from their high
Many “citizens” still live off the land as nomadic hunters and terraces, living decadent and sometimes immoral lifestyles.
gatherers. These brave men and women are far from primi- The universities of Daion are housed in these towers, where
tive, many employing prototype technology to get what they nobility send their children from all over Rilausia to study.
need while still endeavoring to keep the forest intact. Daion is well known for having the best pilots, and the nobil-
Some Dalvozzeans fight against the rigid structure ity will often pass their time hunting for airship pirates like
of their culture. Ashen Angels and other social movements the Evanglessian gentry hunt foxes.
(or terrorist cells as they’re called by the government) be- While the farishtaas live in white towers and com-
lieve the castes are outdated and oppressive, although these fort, the city of Daion below the canopy is something en-
groups are relatively small. tirely different. Packed to the breaking point, Daion is an
54
amalgamation of elves, mercenaries, and people who are avage lf aS E
there because they can’t go anywhere else. The canopy and
smog-blowing factories keep the under-canopy of Daion Nationality Story
dark even on the brightest days. The concept of civilization is lost on you. You’re much more ac-
customed to the life of a hunter and gatherer, travelling through
p Nationality Stories M the High Rilausian Forest, living as your ancestors had for cen-
turies. You can easily survive indefinite amounts of time in any
Below are some nationality stories you can select. While most forested area without provisions.
adventurers will only have one (if any) of these stories, you might
find that several apply to you.
Highborne Elf a

Member of the Night Society a

Nationality Story
Requires: Elf
Nationality Story Some elves can trace their lineage to the noble families who lord-
Requires: Farishtaa ed over their fellow elves before the farishtaa were created and
Nearly all farishtaa of Dalvozzea belong to the Night Society. The seized control of elven society. While still looked down upon, you

Context
Chapter 4
middle caste of your culture, you are free to enjoy all facilities in are held in slightly higher regard than the average elf.
Dalvozzea except those places reserved for the Day Society.
Miadruid a
Second Generation Farishtaa a
Nationality Story
Nationality Story Requires: Gnome
Requires: Farishtaa Primarily consisting of gnomes, the province of Miadru is free
As a child of two farishtaa parents, you have no knowledge of from the caste system of Dalvozzea... at least while no Day So-
what it’s like to be an elf, causing most elves you encounter to ciety member is visiting. You get along royally with Dalvozzeans
look upon you with jealousy. who do not ascribe themselves to the Day or Night Society.

White-Tower Mercenary a
Nationality Story
Selected by the Day Society to protect their ivory palaces from the Nine Wings of Divinity
disgusting rabble below, you are held in equal regard to members
of the Night Society. If you’re both a White-Tower Merc and a Since Raviziel formed the Nine Wings of Divinity over
Member of the Night Society, you enjoy a significantly larger a century ago, the Nine Wings have stood as the perma-
amount of prestige than either group individually. nent and unyielding backbone of Dalvozzea. Composed
of only the nine most elite winged farishtaas - the day
society - the Nine Wings served as a symbol of Dal-
Ashen Angel a vozzea’s new angelic grace, meeting atop the enormous
Aeon’s Summit that scrapes against the heavens.
Nationality Story
The tattoo on your body of black feathers reminds you of the Two years ago, the Nine Wings’ pristine image
wings you will never possess. A rebel against the Day Society, you was shattered. Its founder, Raviziel, lost control. Giraz-
instantly get along with kindred spirits throughout Dalvozzea. za gained primal control over his body, and the angelic
Better cover your feathers though, law enforcement will treat you Raviziel, the first farishtaa, reverted back to its original
as a terrorist if they see your markings. owner - Girazza, the elf that created the farishtaa con-
version process. Enraged, Girazza tore off his own jaw
and replaced it with an essence-devouring mechanism.
Elf of Adoipa a In one night, he killed three members of the Nine Wings
Nationality Story and drained their body of all synthetic essence. He left
a fourth member half-drained and stark mad. Within the
Requires: Elf same night he started a revolt in the undercanopy that
You come from the elven city-state of Adoipa, run by Girazza the would become known as the Night of Feathers.
Devourer. Elves from other places look up to you as a scion of a
future of equality which many see as impossible. Girazza left the Nine Wings with only five sur-
viving members, one of which with little sanity intact.
They’ve since had to rebuild and work to recapture their
decimated image. With four new members, the Nine
Wings are doing everything they can to reclaim the or-
der they once commanded.
55
 Izedans [ai-zee-dahnz]

Of the human nationalities, the izedans are perhaps the themselves to the extreme.
most peculiar. Hailing from the vast deserts of Izeda, few Despite their unusual customs, the Izedans can be
could imagine anybody calling that hellhole a home. Yet the quite hospitable. Izedans cherish their friends and are highly
izedans have done just that, and their culture reflects their protective of them. A friend of Izeda is a man with a long
harsh climate. life ahead of him. Nonetheless, Izedans often have a hard
Sometimes known as the sunborne, the izedans time relating to and understanding most other cultures, and
have pale, almost yellow, skin. They’re commonly bald (and Izedans who leave the desert adapt poorly to the comforts of
women often shave their heads), and many of them develop modern, industrial living.
miscolorations on their exposed skin. Though Izedans are not as engineering as the other
Context
Chapter 4

Izedans live as scavengers. Though there are some human nations, they do well with what they have. While oth-
Izedan cities, they are rare and far apart. Izedans often live ers have created powerful rifles, the izedans still hold true
as nomads, tending their herds and living off what little the to their crossbows; and their steam-powered, high caliber
land provides. They’re quite accustomed to the heat, and crossbows are some of the most vicious weapons ever seen.
survive well in poor climates. Izedans travel in large armored caravans, pulled by great
The entire culture has an almost religious devotion beasts of burden that only the Izedans could tame. Izedan
to pain. Ritual scarification is well known through Izeda, merchants will often work along the outskirts of Izeda, bar-
and pain is a daily part of life. Adulthood is proven through tering off their unusual collections in exchange for food and
tests of endurance, and, by proxy, the medicine men of the other knick knacks they can trade elsewhere.
Izedans are some of the best in the world. Izedans rarely
stagger under a blow, having spent their entire lives pushing

56
 p Ethnic Traits M p Nationality Stories M
Short and stocky, the bleach-white skinned Izedans are a Below are some nationality stories you can select. While most
hardy people, bred to last in the harsh desert wasteland of adventurers will only have one (if any) of these stories, you might
the Quist. Stereotyped as being jolly and flippant, Izedans find that several apply to you.
are extremely hard workers who live off of whatever they
can scavenge. Lovers of tall tales, many outsiders consider
it an incomparable experience to sit and watch an Izedan Disciple of Pain a
campfire. Most Izedans have little hair on the tops of their Nationality Story
head, although they have no difficulty growing thick mutton
chops or full beards. Of the few Izedan satyrs, many cut or You follow the Severing. You have ritually scarred yourself in
trim their legs to avoid heat stroke. honor of your heritage, following in the path of the Scarred
One who fought off the fearsome Hauds and survived when
Elven Izedans, many of whom have family lines in none could. You have no fear of pain and have made it part
the Quist predating the rise of Izeda, are completely inter- of your life. Though you may die from wounds, pain will not
mixed with their non-elven compatriots. They are held as slow you down.
equals in Izedan caravans and have, over time, grown to ap-
pear distinctly different than the elves who inhabit the rest

Context
Chapter 4
of the continent. Izedan elves have spines more bent than
their forest-dwelling peers, with longer, thicker arms they
Raised to Scavenge a
sometimes use to run on all fours. Their skins’ texture is Nationality Story
rugged to the touch and light-brown in texture, making The ancient deserts of the Quist hold many secrets, pieces
them camoflauge into the sand more easily. Their hair is and parts that must be cobbled together to make new trea-
also longer than the average elf, shielding their long backs sures. You were raised to take the trash of the desert and sell
from harmful sunlight and keeping them cool when they it for a living. To you, even the most petty of objects can be
need to be. Because of their separation from the castes of scavenged and sold in the market.
Dalvozzea, most Izedan elves see the farishtaa-conversion
process as a shameful equivalent to suicide and refuse to
partake. Asagnu Caravaneer a

p Foreign Relations & Stereotypes M

Nationality Story
The caravan of the ancient Izedan kings, you are of the car-
Izedans are an amicable people who rarely have problems avan that is most strong, most proud. No other caravan can
with anyone. In addition, since they are hardly a true nation, match yours in terms of military might, tradition, or breadth.
they rarely deal with foreign affairs or politics of any kind. All other caravans are beneath yours, especially the Caravan
The Quist may house the ruins of Izeda, but no nation cares of Sapience, the superstitious rebels that caused the Izeda
particularly for claiming a stake in anything lost in its burn- Kingdom to collapse so many years ago. All other caravans
ing sands. Izedans and their neighboring gnomes of Val- should pay yours with the rightful respects.
dru have always had good relations, the former often trading
scrap parts for sustenence from the latter. Many Valdruid
gnomes have joined Izedan caravans over the years, hop-
ing for adventure and discovery. Izedans and Hauds have
Caravaneer of Sapience a

never gotten along. Fueling this fact is the knowledge that Nationality Story
they are the longest surviving nationalities on the continent, You are from one of the branches of the oldest, most sacred
both predating recorded history. Their mutual longevities caravan: the caravan of Sapience. Sapience, the Queen of
have given the two groups centuries of chances to be at each Vultures who rules over southern Izeda, will always look over
other’s throats. Satyrs and Izedans from all walks of life are you. You have a strong affinity with vultures and know many
inseparable allies as long as they stay outside of a bar. who have kept them as pets. The dead are a source of food,
Izedans were entirely separated from the brutal Hur- and flight is best fit for the birds.
ricane Wars, though many left to assist their allies abroad.
The vast majority of Izedans have never seen an ayodin be-
fore and are often known to act like curious schoolchildren Sunrage Elf a
upon first meeting one. Evangless was the main reason why Nationality Story
many Izedans joined against the seawater ayodin. At the
time, numerous Evanglessian anthropologists were study- Requires: Elf
ing Izedan culture when they recieved the radio transmis- You are an elf from the harsh deserts of the Quist, living
sions of the coastal attacks. Young Izedans wanting to prove and growing among the Izeda people. You are not used to
themselves as impassable warriors followed the anthropolo- the normal prejudices that elves from the north experience,
gists home and enlisted in the Evanglessian military. but you are stalwart and proud, ready to bear any obstacle.
Outsiders will often fear you for your unusual appearance,
but you can weather even the worst of comments.
57
 Paldoran Exiles [pal-dohr-anz]

Flying the skies of Tephra, the Paldoran Exiles live in enor-

mous Stormships, raiding and pillaging towns for food and p Becoming Exiles M
supplies. Years ago, the lands of Paldorus were ravaged by For years the Paldorans led the world in numerous scien-
radiation that destroyed the land and mutilated the popu- tific advances. During the Hurricane Wars, the Paldorans
lace. Today, many of the survivors live in these enormous were the undisputed leaders in wartime technological ad-
raiding ships, dooming any town they mark as their prey. vances. Though they can’t claim that they invented aether
The Paldorans are a proud, strong people. They’re resonation, they pioneered many of the advances thereafter.
easily identified for their dark brown skin and eyes of icy, When the freshwater ayodin came ashore, it was the Pal-
almost crystalline, blue. They’ve grown accustomed to the dorans that took the graviton sphere engines of the ayodin
and began building ironbirds and skyships. For years, the
Context

harsh living above the cloudlines, where the cutting winds

Chapter 4

and chill make life constantly difficult. Paldorans defended their coastlines against ayodin attacks,
using enormous engines of war, super-heating their water
Lead by powerful airship captains and faithful to the with aether, and flying over the oceans in enormous airships.
Infernal Jinzium Church, the Paldoran Exiles have become But those advances would also be the Paldorans’ undoing.
a force to be reckoned with. They prowl the world with ad-
vanced weaponry developed during the Hurricane Wars and A decade ago, a rash of diseases spread across Pal-
have lost their remorse for the other nations that they must dorus. Physicians compared it to radiation, for the infected’s
now pillage in order to survive. For Paldorans, survival of the skin would grow dry and cracked, almost like stone. Over
fittest is not just an empty phrase. It is a way of life. 70% of the infected died while 20% survived with the un-
usual skin deformities. A rare few survived with few, if any,
p Ethnic Traits M
visual defects, as their bodies learned to cope and repress
the radiation.
The darkest-skinned ethnicity on Rilausia, Paldorans are The infection did not stop with the populace. The
also known for their bright blue eyes which, up-close, look fields of Paldorus were decimated by the radiation. In hind-
almost crystalline. While most Paldorans have dark hair sight, the Paldorans could have seen the plague coming, for
which refuses to grey with age, many Paldorans have opted it hit the crops first. What crops it didn’t kill, it mutated and
to dye streaks of their hair silver or gold tones to increase changed, making the food virtually inedible.
their individuality on Stormships where military uniforms In the midst of the plague, scientists discovered its
are the unrelenting dress code. source: the aether resonators that Paldorans relied on in their
everyday life. The resonators that the Paldorans had manu-
p Foreign Relations & Stereotypes M factured for war were leaking radiation across the nation,
and, over time, had begun to kill and mutate everyone who
Paldorans are far from the most popular nationality on Rilau- used them on a regular basis.
sia. Ostracized for their refugee status, Paldorans inside and The people panicked. Many turned to the Paldoran
outside the fleet suffer from untrusting glances from most church - Infernal Jinzium - for guidance. And the church
people they meet. Exiles have recieved the warmest welcome responded, revealing a plan to escape the radiation that had
from the open-minded Evanglessians. claimed their homeland. The church unveiled enormous
Many Paldorans have a minor phobia of Zel Hauds. graviton spheres, none smaller than a house. These graviton
Archduke Zimarati of Zelhost seems to enjoy shooting spheres were beyond the scope of any known spheres cur-
down Paldoran airships, although he hasn’t shown issue let- rently in use today, and the church already knew how to use
ting landborne Paldorans into his borders to work in his in- them. “We have begun work on new ships, ships that will
numerable foundries. carry an entire city’s worth of people,” said Lucius Yaroslav,
Paldorans have the most trouble dealing with salt- the head of the Infernal Church. “Jinzi has given us these
water ayodin. Still openly hostile with each other, the start of gifts to raise our people out of Paldorus! With them, we shall
their sour relationship was the Hurricane Wars. The Paldoran build the Infernal Colony Ships and live among the clouds,
air force used aether-based cannons to superheat patches of closest to our savior, Jinzi.”
ocean, literally boiling ayodin legions alive. Paldorans now These Infernal Colony Ships were built, constructed
avoid flight over the oceans, for it would lead to bloodshed. of mismatched parts on a solid steel frame. At their heart,
the enormous graviton spheres found by the Church. With
the king’s blessing, the church appropriated numerous air-
ships, breaking them down to basic components and using
them to build their colony ships. Millions moved to Erodin,
the Paldoran capital, as these ships were built, expediting
58
the process, but also clogging the city with miscreants and Stowaway a
refugees. And, after a year of work, the Infernal Colony Ships
were prepared. Nationality Story
These ships would become known as Stormships When the stormships left Erodin, many people could not fit.
across the rest of Rilausia. At their smallest, they carried But, where your name was not on the list, you made room for
tens of thousands of Paldorans escaping Paldorus. From a yourself. You stowed on board, hiding in the underbelly of
distance, it is said, a Stormship looks like an encroaching the ship. Perhaps you were discovered and sent to the sur-
storm cloud. face. Perhaps you were discovered and made yourself useful.
When the Stormships lifted off from Paldorus, they Yet the facts remain unchanged: you were not invited to the
did so leaving their king and families behind. Paldorus was stormships, and cannot be a citizen of the colony.
splintered. The colony ships were built simply to wait out
the radiation and return to Paldorus soon thereafter. But
luck was not on their side. Chosen by Jinzi a
Nationality Story
Deal with the Devil Many were invited to join the Infernal Colony Ships of Pal-
King Agyros Caeliph was an ancient king. His two sons left

Context
dorus, but you were personally asked by a member of the

Chapter 4
in the Stormships - one as a captain, the other as a rank- Infernal Church of Jinzium. You were chosen by the sun god
ing member of the Infernal Church. The king knew that his to lead the Paldoran people away from the mutated land and
land would take many years to recover. He knew that the into the skies. Let none doubt your worth.
Valdruid gnomes to the west and the Zel Hauds of the north
were being overrun by Paldoran refugees (and, in the case
of Zelhost, the treatment of the refugees could, at best, be Paldoran Militant a
described as poor). The king needed a way to improve the
quality of Paldorus’s land, and quickly. Nationality Story
He contacted Jayro Tiin, a gnomish merchant lord Where the church built the ships, it is the Paldoran military
who governed the city-state of Ristvale. Ristvale had been that runs them. You are or were a member of the Paldoran
accepting of the Paldoran refugees, and Jayro Tiin had a military, commanding the ship and leading the raids that
reputation for his understanding of bio-engineering and the supply it. If you are noted as a Paldoran militant in most
gnomish growth sciences. Jayro Tiin made a deal with the other nations, you will be, at best, shunned. At worst, hung
Paldoran King to restore the land of Paldorus - and, he’d do for crimes of piracy. But a militant must do what is neces-
so for free. sary to ensure that his people survive, and you did nothing
Though the king accepted the deal, he would only less than that.
later realize that Jayro’s definition of free was well out of his
price range. Jayro Tiin unveiled his most wicked machine
and ran death and mutations across Paldorus. He caused Grounded Exile a
the nation’s vegetation to grow and run wild, Jayro using Nationality Story
Paldorus as his own enormous scientific experiment. By
the time the Stormships could return to Paldorus, there was You were a citizen aboard an Infernal Colony Ship, but you
no homeland left to return to. The nation was overrun by committed an act or were not found worthy enough to stay
wild, mutated creatures. The people that survived were more aboard. Perhaps you were not keeping pace with your peers.
monster than human, and the Paldoran exiles had no where Perhaps the ship could not support its population. Perhaps
to turn to. you committed a crime and were sent to the surface. Either
way, you were grounded and may not return to your original
p Nationality Stories M
stormship. You are no longer a citizen of the Air Empire.

Below are some nationality stories you can select. While most
adventurers will only have one (if any) of these stories, you might Stormship Engineer a
find that several apply to you.
Nationality Story
When the stormships were being built by the Church, you
S R
igns of adiation a were hired to work on them. When they lifted off, you lived
in the engine rooms, working as an engineer, ensuring that
Nationality Story the ships stayed aloft. Your position, perhaps more so than
You thought you had escaped the radiation, but your skin even the ship’s captain, was the most important. Among oth-
has since started peeling, graying, turning to ash. Though er Paldorans, you are shown great respect for your work. You
it’s minor and purely on the surface, the signs are obvious: have extensive skill with Engineering and automatically start
you were irradiated. off with a point in that skill.

59
 Zel Hauds [hawdz]

The Haudi Empire once stood dominant across the conti- In the years since the Empire’s decline, the capital
nent, the complete rulers of their domain. The Hauds con- cities in Siyesh have crumbled while the industries in Zel-
sider themselves the blessed race, and the slow collapse of host have prospered. While their Siyeshi sisters still see the
the Empire has done little to dissuade them of that notion. satyrs as their property, Zel Hauds, much more kindly, see
The seat of their fallen Empire lies in the rugged northern satyrs as a simple-minded inferior creatures whose only use
lands of Siyesh among tall mountains and rough terrain. A is serving their mother species. Some Zel Hauds still keep
people forged in harsh conditions, the strength of the Hauds satyr slaves, although this is a dying trend. Most satyrs of
reflects their motherland. Zelhost are employed as low-level factory workers and ser-
The Zel Hauds themselves live far from their an- vants.
Context

cestral northern home. Separated from Siyesh by the mas- Despite being so greatly separated from its moth-
Chapter 4

sive Evangless, the Hauds of Zelhost, often shortened to Zel erland, Zelhost has inherited much of the long held rac-
Hauds, are an industrial people whose countryside is car- ism and elitism toward its surrounding nations. Izedans and
peted with manufactories, warehouses, and chemical plants Evanglessians care not that Zelhost has rejected Siyesh as
from border to border. Under their peerless leader Archduke its sovereign; a Haud is a Haud. In return, after witness-
Zimarati, the Zel Hauds have been growing increasingly in- ing the rise of Evangless in his country’s backyard, Arch-
dependent from the northern throne. In the matriarchal land duke Zimarati stays ready to invade his fledgling neighbor
of Zelhost, you must prove yourself worthy of power and at the first signs of aggression. Zimarati also has an invasion
respect. To Zimarati’s people, the failures of the Haudi Em- of the largely abandoned Paldorus on his military agenda,
press in Siyesh have cost her their respect, although she still unbeknownst to the Paldoran migrants now working in his
clings to their loyalty. foundries.
The invasion of Khemli, Zelhost’s capital city, was
p Ethnic Traits M one of the first major battles of the Hurricane Wars. Ayodin
bombers levelled the city using graviton technology that far
For most Hauds, six feet is considered short. Easily the tall- surpassed the Haudi Aero-Navy at the time. In response the
est of all the ethnicities, Hauds have bred themselves to be Zel Hauds did two things. The first was filling their nation
lofty in height, physically strong, and built to beat people to with advanced anti-air guns and far reaching train tracks to
a pulp when it is called for. Haudi women are actually taller move them. The second was throwing the few ayodin found
than the men, and women hold significantly more positions within their borders into wartime prisons. In the years since
of power than their male counterparts. Hauds are known for the war Zel Hauds have moved past this paranoid racism;
their thick, course hair of light colors, but their varied skin the families of the ayodin victims have not.
tones are all colored in dark shades that many people say re-
sembles stone. Their features are all very pronounced, their
jawlines rigid, and their teeth, always frighteningly white,
are long and sharp looking, making them look as feral as a
civilized people can.
While Siyeshi Hauds dress in traditional flowing
leathers and cloths depending on the heat, Zel Hauds aug-
ment these outfits with more modern Evanglessian eccen-
tricities such as derby hats and ties.

p Foreign Relations & Stereotypes M

The Haudi Empire has a proud history of advancing the sci-
ences and never taking no for an answer. The means to this
end, the Hauds built their empire on the backs of enslaved
humans, gnomes, and satyrs. There are scant few ethnicities
in Rilausia today that can’t find ancestors who were enslaved
by the Haudi Empire. The Empire pioneered the fields of
alchemy and bio-engineering (though the gnomes played a
vital role in bio-engineering). After all, it was the Hauds who
bio-engineered the satyrs, a species created to be the ulti-
mate servants of the Empire.
60
 p Nationality Stories M
Below are some nationality stories you can select. While most
adventurers will only have one (if any) of these stories, you
might find that several apply to you.

Imperial Traditionalist a
Nationality Story
While you are a citizen of Zelhost, you pledge allegiance to
the true rulers of the Haudi Empire: the empress in Siyesh.
You get along with Hauds from Siyesh far better than your
countrymen, who feel a foul taste in their mouth whenever
you fondly talk about “the old country.”

Matriarch a

Context
Chapter 4
Nationality Story
Requires: Female
Haudi culture is run by powerful women and you happen to
be one of them. Haudi men feel compelled to bow to you on
sight.

Satyr Servant a
Nationality Story
Requires: Satyr
You formerly were, or unfortunately still are, the vassal of a
Haudi lord. Muscle memory makes you flinch or cower when
a Haud raises his hand to strike you outside of combat.

Honor without Etiquette a

Nationality Story
While outsiders may see you as uncouth or low-class, other
Hauds see right to your core. Your countrymen can tell how
respectable you are with a single glance.

National Passtime a
Nationality Story
Hauds are known for their mastery of the alchemical sciences.
You know a little more about alchemical theory than the aver-
age person, giving you a +4 to Sciences when attempting to
determine what augments an alchemical solution contains.

61
 Organizations
p The Brimstones M p The Carnival M
Sovereigns of dust and dirt for as far as the eye can see, the Synonomous with insanity and anarchy, the Carnival is a na-
Brimstone Gang rules the western wilds in the name of the tion-wide underground organization filled with the allegedly
cattle barons who fund and support them. They enforce the mentally infirm. Though they seem insane (and claim to be
laws of the land, although these laws are more often than not nothing but), stories and rumors abound about the Carni-
of their own creation. The Brimstones also keep a keen eye val’s efforts against unjust rulers and useless royalty. Under
over the ranches and homesteads of their territory. the guidance of Varas Dyrashi, their charismatic front-man,
Begun by the cattle barons of western Evangless, the Carnival is the greatest fear of corrupt government of-
ficials regardless of their sphere of influence. Around them
Context

the Brimstones are a loose coalition of former gangs and ex-

Chapter 4

convicts brought together to keep the barons in power. With stand the public faces no one suspects - the butcher, the
numbers and monetary backing, the Brimstone Gang has haberdasher, the midwife. Members of the Carnival can be
become the new aristocracy of the western wilds through found every where and from every walk of life, if one knows
service to the barons, and they mean to keep it that way. where to look.
With a reputation for political assassinations and Always appearing disorganized in the general pub-
similar dirty deeds, the Brimstones operate solely for the lic, they made a scene during the Evanglessian Civil War
sake of money. No job is beneath them as long as the pay is when they captured a near complete fleet of airships and
high enough. With the numbers they possess, the comple- routed a Crimson Marshal’s forces. Rather than siding with
tion of a job is often a matter of quantity, not quality, but the royalists, the Carnival took their new-found fleet and put
results are results in the Brimstones’ eyes. The versatility it to use terrorizing the local aristocracy who suffered from
of their members, covering everything from simple thugs to rumors of overtaxation and a lack of upkeep for their citi-
stellar marksmen, ensures well paying jobs as the norm. zenry. Many leader still cave at the sound of the Carnival’s
The Brimstones believe in small government, pref- bombastic anthem before a single hostile action is taken.
erably with their own members sitting in seats of comfort Often the fleet will disappear just as rapidly as it arrived,
and power. They discourage the other powers from eastern returning to hangars unknown.
Evangless from interfering in their business and will use Insane or just unpredictable? The average Evangles-
force to discourage interventions if inspectors and legisla- sian remains still uncertain, the Carnival intent on keeping
tors get too nosy. the status quo. Regardless of spontaneity, the Carnival can
always be counted on to show where there is social unrest,
either as instigators or arbiters.
Brimstone Thug a
Membership Story Carnie a
You’ve worked as a member of the Brimstones to ensure the Membership Story
proliferation of the cattle barons’ rule of frontier Evangless.
In return, you can get non-market worthy beef for free from You’ve joined up with the Carnival to fight against corrupt
any cattle baron you’ve worked for. leaders to build a better Evangless. If you can get into con-
tact with a Carnival airship, you can hitch a ride without
issue, although the ship’s captain still determines the ship’s
S G
mall overnment ig un a ,B G path.
Membership Story
You won’t stand for city folk nosing in on the Brimstones. C P
arnival erformer a
While on the land of a western Evanglessian cattle baron, Membership Story
you have a +2 to resisting intimidations by non-military gov-
ernment officials. You are a member of a Carnival sleeper cell. Whether work-
ing alone or with others, you act indistinguishably from the
average citizen on matters of politics until it comes time
to stop active tyranny. Constantly searching for abuses of
power, you can instantly spot other Carnival members just
by speaking with them for a few brief seconds.

62
 p Coaldust Unions M p Fulbourne Society M
Colloquially known as the Coaldusters, the Coaldust Unions Old wood chairs, tobacco-stained tables laden with finger-
were conceived to protect the rights of laborers employed in foods, and a snifter of cognac are the trappings that sur-
the mines and refineries of Evangless. Stationed originally round the Fulbourne Society. Founded long ago as a simple
in the heavy strip-mining areas of the mountains around aristocratic fraternity, these gentlemen have since become
Varsylis, the Unions have spread across Evangless to encom- the premier experts in social maneuvering. Using their re-
pass all industries, from coal to railways to textiles and ev- sources, they can find out anything about anyone, provided
erything in between. they care enough to try.
The Unions at one time used strikes, minor sabo- Steeped in ritual and procedure, the Fulbourne re-
tage and blackmail to draw attention to their cause, working serve their membership for only the most exclusive of old
against big businesses who ran the mines. The corporations families. They view the new money, the entrepreneurs, as
they rallied against made use of the LaVrey National De- interlopers beneath their proven nobility. They show their
tective Agency to put a stop to the labor disputes whenever attitudes in holding members-only events where all arrive in
they grew out of hand. This forced the Coaldusters to find opulent horse-drawn carriages heralding back to a time be-
another method of working towards their goal. fore their old money was all that old. The maxim, “You can’t

Context
join the Fulbourne society unless you’re born to it,” blankets

Chapter 4
Another nonprofit, the Sons of Strife helped ensure
the Coaldust Unions’ success by contributing funds and everything they do despite being less than true. Ever-so-of-
time. As a result of these cooperations many Sons are also ten, new blood does manage to enter the ranks, but they are
Union members, helping find the youth in the Sons to find often “recently rediscovered old family material.”
employment through the Coaldust Unions’ many labor net- The Fulbourne Society is very resistant to change.
works. They act as though the civil war never happened and stand
Today the Union has improved workers lives sig- staunchly behind the traditional role of the Emperor. Up-
nificantly, in many cases cutting work-related casualties and start movements such as the Brimstones and the Sons of
incidents by as much as fifty percent. Like all large bodies, Strife (and before them, the Militarists) infuriate them, lead-
though, corruption has taken hold. It is not unheard of for ing the Society to act against them as often as possible.
some local union leaders to withhold wages or not pass them While stagnant and elitist, the Fulbourne Society
out correctly, sometimes forcing laborers to work unpaid. has remained a part of the backdoor political scene in Evan-
These events are few and far between, and no one can doubt gless for many generations. And though their aid may be dif-
the good the Union has wrought in the large part. ficult to enlist, the information they provide is never wrong.

Coaldust Laborer a Fulbourne Initiate a

Membership Story Membership Story
A unionized member of the workforce, you’ve joined one of Invited for and forged through a series of unknown initia-
the Coaldust Unions. Never shall you or your friends work in tion rituals, you are a member of the Fulbourne Society. You
hazardous conditions. You have a +4 to Notice when trying have brothers and sisters in high places, granting you access
to tell if a place of work is unfit for workers, although you to hidden Fulbourne lodges, most commonly found in the
may not be able to tell why. mansions of the long-lived rich.

Coaldust Protestor a Fulbourne Scout a

Membership Story Membership Story
You’ve picketed against big business taking advantage of You were trained to find new potential members for the Ful-
the powerless wage-slave. When you fight against mistreat- bourne Society. When reading tells on a target, a tier 2 re-
ment of workers, you’ll always find any employees that share sult or higher will also tell you whether or not they’re old
your views. money.

New Blood Fulbourne a

Membership Story
You somehow managed to worm your way into the Ful-
bourne Society despite having no lineage to speak of. No
doubt you faked having noble lineage or tricked a Fulbourne
scout with your silver tongue. The elite of the Society will
keep extensive records on your dealings with them, which
they courteously grant you unrestricted access to.
63
 p Highflyers M p Detective Agency M
LaVrey National
The founders of the Highflyers were once the elite aces of
Evangless. Several still are, though as time progresses they Founded by Jordana LaVrey, the LaVrey National Detective
spend less and less time in the cockpit. Still, many of theseAgency has become known as the foremost security force for
older men can outmanuever the best of the standing Evan- hire in Evangless, as well as the largest. Primarily employed
glessian Air Fleet. and stationed in western Evangless by the cattle barons and
the railway companies, the LaVreys are composed of secu-
During the civil war, these pilots were drawn together
rity personnel from all walks of life, incorporating mustered-
at a four-star bar in Aldamiir called the Silver Lining. These
out specialists from the Evanglessian army to mercenaries
men eventually became known as the Highflyers, garnering on contract work and more.
members from the both armies, to the point where pilots for
each side would paint the organization’s emblem on their From riding shotgun across an unfinished stretch of
fuselage and engage each other in honor duels if they spot- rail to guarding cargo through the worst of the lawless wilds,
ted a rival in the opposing forces. Unfortunately this led tothe LaVreys have earned a name for themselves as the best
bad blood between members from opposing fleets. Most of (and most) bang for your buck outside of the big city. Many
bandits will outright abandon a job if signs of the LaVreys
it consists of swaggering talk of professional rivals, but the
are about. Their reputation has earned as many enemies as
Context

club still suffers sometimes lethal scrapes between members.

Chapter 4

Sanctioned duels held in secret are commonplace among the it has potential business, however, and many times bandits
younger members, though death is thankfully rare during will attack a LaVrey warded target simply to test their mettle
such events. against the LaVrey reputation.
The Highflyers welcome all pilots, from those who Jordana LaVrey herself is a woman in her early thir-
fly weighty airships to sleek ironbirds and everything in be-ties who built her agency with her force of presence and
tween. The nature of the club’s founding, though, inevitably self-established network of contacts stretching as far as the
cities of eastern Evangless. She is a tall, strong-bodied wom-
leads the ironbird majority to look down on other pilots, giv-
en the recent prevalence of ironbird use within the military.an striding through the tumult of battle wielding an enor-
Regardless, there’s no better place to go in Evangless for mous handheld gatling gun. Her continuous campaigning
piloting tips from the best. within the eastern part of the country has won the LaVreys
several exclusive contracts with the government, including
staffing guard positions for government cargo trains.
H ighflyer a Be it a private investigation, a rumor of corporate
sabotage, or even an average citizen in need of a bodyguard,
Membership Story the LaVrey National Detective Agency meets all challenges
You’ve earned enough commendations as a pilot to be in- with indomitable enthusiasm.
vited into the luxury world of the Highflyers. You have the
ability to requisition Highflyer badges and plates to prove
your membership. Displaying them on your person or your LV A
a rey gent a
vehicle will allow you to fly unrestricted through Evangles-
sian aerospace. Membership Story
You’ve been hired by the LaVrey National Detective Agency.
You will periodically receive notice of available jobs for you
C W A
ivil ar ce a to take through the mail or via radio transciever.
Membership Story
You were a Highflyer during the Evanglessian Civil War. LV D
a rey etective a
Since former foes are now fellow Highflyers, you’re prac-
ticed in the art of nonlethal midair dueling. You can arrange Membership Story
Highflyer-sanctioned duels without the need of other High- You’ve established yourself as a member of the LaVreys. You
flyers. can flash your shiny membership badge to prove your com-
bat prowess and reputation, although most people outside
of eastern Evangless will have no idea who the LaVreys are.
Legendary Highflyer a
Membership Story LaVrey Train Guard a
Not even the Highflyers question your legendary piloting
skills and your sheer power of presence. You have a VIP Membership Story
pass to the Silver Lining in Aldamiir, allowing you to skip You’re commonly hired to protect cargo trains as they cross
any lines on the way in. Evangless. You can generally stop any Evanglessian cargo
train you’re riding by showing your credentials to the train
engineer.

64
 p Renovators M p Sons of Strife M
Founded by an inventor named Jed K. Sampson in the wake Founded by middle- and lower-class survivors of the Hurri-
of the civil war’s destruction, the Renovators have become a cane Wars and the Evanglessian Civil War, the Sons of Strife
respected institution across Evangless. With posts in every are the people who were forced to rebuild after decades at
major city and smaller travel stations scattered about, they war. While many are actual sons and daughters of war vet-
are everywhere one needs them to be. erans, the organization has branched out and enveloped all
Jed believes that the many recent wars endured by people coping and adjusting to the wartorn Evangless. Just
Evangless have shattered Evangless’ precious landmarks and as their parents, siblings, and friends fought for their lives,
robbed the nation of key parts of its past. While many of now the Sons of Strife fight for change.
those structures were old and outdated, it was better to have The leaders of the Sons believe the dysfunctional
them refurbished than to have lost them completely. The interplay of the military and aristocracy of Evangless caused
Renovators were conceived in order to rebuild the lost land- its civil war. Their goal is a complete restructuring of soci-
marks and adapt them to the current Evangless. ety, where people make decisions for the sake of people, as
The Renovators have a significant amount of re- opposed to the Emperor or his Crimson Marshals deciding
sources. Some say their coffers fill from Jed’s own pockets, on their behalf. This view, while radical, is shared by most

Context
Sons, although the more conservative members are fine with

Chapter 4
others from investers with personal stakes in the Renovator’s
success. In truth, their wealth comes primarily from com- the Emperor’s power, as long as a parliament can be founded
missions from wealthy patrons with worn and torn edifices, as a regulatory agency.
as well as its members own pockets and other philanthro- The Sons began moving politically, calling for a re-
pists. The Renovators consist of scientists, architects and construction and evaluation of the monarchy and the legis-
inventors who contribute to the design process. They also lative process. Their cries for a regulatory parliament soon
contain untold numbers of laborers and security. They excel began to echo among the less wealthy and rural citizenry,
at finding out historical information and figuring out how and the movement overtook numerous regions, especially
things work, thanks to a network of analytical engines. those once occupied by Evanglessian Militarists. During this
The Evanglessian government recognizes their time, the Sons of Strife cooperated extensively with similar
architectural prowess, and as such most of the new cities social movements, most notably the Coaldust Union.
built following the civil war were commissioned work of the Believers in the notion of fair rule, the Sons of Strife
Renovators. Despite this, they see Evangless as it once was aim for nothing less than a social revolution. Their move-
and seek to restore her to her former beauty, aided by every ment is rapidly building steam, though against the impla-
willing and able set of hands who cares to join. cable weight of Evangless’s long standing military heritage
their goals are far from achieved.
Renovator a
Membership Story
Son of Strife a

You’ve volunteered to join the reconstruction effort. What- Membership Story

ever your talent, you’ve taken it upon yourself to restore You’ve joined the Sons of Strife in their push for regulation
Evangless to her historic majesty. You have free access to in government. Your political affiliation will find you friends
pictographs of Evanglessian landmarks and buildings, when amongst Militarists, Coaldust Union members, and fellow
and where they exist. Sons.

Renovator Foreman a Born a Son a

Membership Story Membership Story
You’ve led groups of Renovators to build or rebuild works You were a member of one of the many widowed families
of art, whether a simple building or an intricate sculpture or who helped build the Sons of Strife. Whether you agree with
anything in between. When you have access to a Renovator them or not, your thoughts on Evangless’ government inter-
analytical engine in-person or via radio it takes you no time est many political journalists looking for a good quote for a
at all to gather all historical records on available subjects. filler article.

Renovator Designer a Charitable Daughter a

Membership Story Membership Story
You’ve proven yourself as a planner, organizing Renovator You are one of the beloved Daughters of Strife, who work to
efforts on various projects. You have easy access to Renova- bring prosperity back to the lower class throughout Tephra.
tor laborers provided they are used for Renovator-sanctioned The charitable daughters of strife are well respected and
projects. loved and will find allies in the lowest of areas.
65
 Background Stories
Background stories can normally only be chosen at character creation. On occassion, a background story
might appear later, if, by chance, the game takes a long break and the character goes off and spends several
years bartending. When he returned to active adventuring again, he might have gained a new background
story. Otherwise, characters will choose or be given background stories at character creation.
We normally recommend that you select one background story, but you or your narrator might allow
you to take more if you’d like. If you don’t find any background stories to your liking, feel
free to skip them, or - if you’re feeling quite adventurous - make your own!
Context
Chapter 4

Background Stories - Listed Airborne a

For your easy reading, here are the background stories, in a sim- Background Story
ple, skimmable list format. Whether it be standing on the wing of a flyer, using levitating
Airborne Railway Worker gadgets, or wearing armor augmented with the ability to fly,
you’ve trained yourself to fight unhindered in the air.
Bartender Repairman
Burglar Rodeo Rider Bartender a
Cattle Wrangler Background Story
Chef With bartending on your resume and the right ingredients at your
disposal, you know how to mix any beverage a bar patron orders.
Clergy
Conductor
Burglar a
Cowboy
Background Story
Cutpurse Life as a thief has taught you how to spot valuables on a target.
Forgery Artist When using your cunning, you automatically score one tier high-
er to determine what a target has in their inventory.
Forest Gatherer
Gambler Cattle Wrangler a
Gentry Background Story
Handy Craftsman Thanks to your experience with a lasso, when attempting to grab
an animal with a whip you gain a +1 on your accuracy roll.
Kinematician
Lawman
Librarian
Chef a
Background Story
Lumberjack From a simple baker to the king’s personal soup cook, you’ve had
Mariner some experience as a chef. Whenever you roll your sciences to
determine the quality of your cooking, roll twice and take the
Moneylender higher result.
Mysterious Twin
Nobility Clergy a
Background Story
Physician
Requires: Faith Membership Story
Thanks to your experience giving sermons from behind a pul-

66
pit, people of your faith trust you. When attempting to persuade
someone of your faith to do something, you automatically score H C
andy raftsman a
a tier higher. Background Story
You have worked as a crafter who made common items sold in
general stores around the world. You can make all of the equip-
C onductor a ment listed under “Adventuring Basics” during any period of
Background Story downtime.
As a former train conductor, you’re used to the layout of different
train models. You instantly know the functions and layouts of any
civilian train car. Kinematician a
Background Story
Your knowledge of the laws of physics and magnetism give you
C owboy a insight on ranged weaponry. You can determine the range of a
Background Story weapon via a cunning roll.
Long stretches of time spent on cattle drives has taught you how
to keep watch over the herd while still resting at camp. When us-
L

Context
Chapter 4
ing Cunning to scout for enemies during any breather, roll twice awman a
and take the higher result. Background Story
Your time protecting the peace has given you a sixth sense for
lawbreaking. You gain a +2 on all cunning rolls to catch lawbreak-
C utpurse a ers in the act.
Background Story
Your work as a pickpocket has taught you sleight of hand. You
can hand items or take items from a target stealthily and without Librarian a
leaving yourself open to reflexes. Background Story
Your an old hat with books, their organization, and finding just
the right piece of information when you need it. When attempting
F A
orgery rtist a to research a piece of information, it takes you half the amount
Background Story of time it would take anybody else. Your narrator will still set that
amount of time.
Due to previous illicit experiences, you can create or duplicate
legal and commercial documents such as proof of identifica-
tion, train tickets, or the necessary paperwork to enter or exit a
country. Lumberjack a
Background Story
You were once or still are a lumberjack of great skill who felled
F G
orest atherer a many trees. Because of this you can predict where a falling tree
Background Story will land with great accuracy.
Thanks to experience in surviving in the wild, when you’re out
in the wilderness, you never worry about finding food. You’ve
learned where to find all the nourishment you need! M ariner a
Background Story
Your many years at sea have taught you the necessary skills to be
G ambler a able to tell what aquatic life is usually nearby.
Background Story
Your habit of gambling has made your money a bit of a swaying
game. You can gamble away up to 10 princes, double-or-nothing, M L
oney ender a
during every period of downtime. Call odds or evens and then roll Background Story
your die - if you called it, you get double what you wagered. If At one point in your life you found that the lending of money in
you failed, you lose it all and you can’t try again until your next varying amounts to people with interest can be profitable but re-
downtime. quires an extremely keen memory. Because of this you can nearly
always remember the names and locations of people you have
met and have the credibility to lend money with predetermined
G entry a interest.
Background Story
Your leisurely life out in the country has taught you how to ef-
fectively run a farm-based estate. All employees of your estate
recieve a +1 on brute rolls.
67
 Mysterious Twin a
Background Story
By some cosmic coincidence, you have the exact same skills and
specialties as a member of the party who just died. Taking this
story gives you all their experience and any rewarded stories they
had earned.

Nobility a
Background Story
You were born and raised in a house of both prestige and wealth
that is known throughout the land. You wear a signet ring that
makes you recognizable by most other social elites and their
guards and thus welcome in their homes.
Context
Chapter 4

Physician a
Background Story
Because of your time working as a physician, you have skill at
diagnosing a variety of ailments. When rolling Cunning to deter-
mine what ails a target, roll twice and take the higher result.

Railway Worker a
Background Story
Your work as a union railway worker allows you to ride on any
passenger train for free.

Repairman a
Background Story
You have experience repairing weapons, armor, and assorted gad-
getry. You can repair broken items anytime outside of battle, even
if you don’t know how to make them yourself.

Rodeo Rider a
Background Story
You get a +4 to dexterity when attempting to hold onto your
mount whenever something attempts to knock you off of it.

68
 Tailemy
In the holy city of Galantria stands the original Church of
Tailemy, where Saint Nerimsal carved the holy doctrine and
cosmogony of Tailemy on every free wall in the building.
Saint Nerimsal wrote of the death of the Beloved Mother, Devout of Tailemy a
who sacrificed herself to Aeon - goddess of the moon and P ersonality Story
the underworld - to birth the world. Scribes collected Saint
Nerimsal’s carvings into a single book, known as the Ak- You are truly embroiled with the doctrine and beliefs of
tailem, which serves as the religious text for all of Tailemy. Tailemy. Your belief in yourself is greatened through your
The tale of the Beloved Mother’s sacrifice spread belief in the Beloved Mother. Any week in which you’ve at-
across central Rilausia and became the dominant religion in tended a sermon given by a clergyman of Tailemy, you gain
parts of the Haudi Empire and Tharmuris for many years. a +1 on all spirit rolls.
When Velkya established Evangless (which translates to
“Gates of Heaven” in old Haud), she did so with Tailemy
as the recognized church of the state. Since the Loveless Martyr of Tailemy a
Wars, Tailemy has become the dominant religion in not only Faith M embership Story

Context
Evangless, but in almost every location that Jinzium hasn’t

Chapter 4
claimed. You have joined the clergy of Tailemy, sacrificing your well-
being and livelihood to ensure that everyone else may live
The Triune heads the church in Galantria. The church their lives. Any fellow believer in Tailemy will likely treat you
is composed of three maidens, each of whom take on a dif- well if they recognize you for who you are.
ferent title: the Paladin, the Crusader, and the Martyr. The
Paladin (and her followers) protect the church from heretics
and those proposing evil. The paladins tout that Aeon will
again destroy the world and all members of Tailemy must be Ordained by Tailemy a
ready for it. The crusaders take that to the next level, push- Faith M embership Story
ing against heretics and converting any they can. Finally, the
martyrs are the clergy who stay within the church, sacrific- Requires: Any other Tailemite membership story
ing their lives to helping those in need. The vast majority of You have gained a good standing in the Tailemite church,
the Tailemite clergy fall within the martyr sect, following the and you are given the privelage of speaking publically about
Beloved Mother’s footsteps. Tailemy and performing religious rites. You are ordained
The clergy are recognizable for their whites gowns within the church, and may represent the Church of Tailemy
and red accents (the blood of their Beloved Mother). The in any of its religious rites.
doctrine of the church calls for all people to rally together,
for only can the combined power of all tephrans fight against
the world’s coming apocalypse. It is believed that Aeon hopes Paladin of Tailemy a
to find a foothold in the world among the wicked and sinful. Faith M embership Story
The more people that can be brought under the purview of
Tailemy the better a chance humanity has to be saved. You have become a paladin of Tailemy, swearing your ser-
Tailemy embraces change unlike any other known vice to the protection of the church. Wherever you go, you
religion. It often sees Jinzium as a tribal, pagan religion. will protect the faithful and help buffer the world against its
Meanwhile, Tailemy is known for embracing new technolo- forthcoming doom. You have a strong belief in humanity and
gies and new ways of thinking. Animals that undergo meto- Tephra, the final bastion against Aeon. You gain a +1 on your
morphoses are exalted by the religion, and the moth has be- soak class when defending another member of the Tailemite
come Tailemy’s symbol (often accompanied by a snake, who faith.
represents Aeon).
Raised by the Church a
Crusader of Tailemy a Background Story
Faith M embership Story You were raised by the Tailemite church, either as an orphan or
You are fighting to unite the world against its future per- because your parents were residents of their church. Regard-
ils. You are a crusader of Tailemy, never wanting the Be- less of whether you still believe in the religious doctrine, you
loved Mother’s death to be in vain. You strive forward into are intimately familiar with the layout of the church and will
the world, spreading the good word of Tailemy, the Aktailem, probably know the right names to drop to get your way in any
and striking down sin at its heart. You will always find com- church. You gain a +2 on cunning rolls when attempting to get
panionship with your fellow crusaders, and you gain a +1 something from a Tailemite church.
on strike rolls against any who have announced their heresy
against the Beloved Mother.

69
 Free Will Teacher of the Faith a
The concept of free will is an idea embraced by many teph- Faith M embership Story
rans, though to the faithful of Free Will, the concept is much Your contributions to the works of Free Will have gained you
more all-encompassing and significant. Established by the a reputation in the religion. You are treated courteously and
Haudi Empress Zoleesha IV, Free Will has become the lead- with deference. You may lead services of the Free Will faith
ing religion of the Haudi people, since their estrangement and receive a +2 to Cunning rolls for the days you do so.
from Jinzium, though it has spread far and wide beyond the
Empire to all corners of Rilausia.
Free Will is tended to locally by Teachers, who are
often professors or academics in a recognized field. Savants
Free Will Savant a

govern the activities of the religion regionally and act as the Faith M embership Story
leaders of churches and temples. These sanctuaries are most Requires “Teacher of the Faith” story and the publication of
often similar to libraries and lounges, where faithful and an intellectual work
non-faithful alike can use the research resources offered or You are renowned within the faith as a person of standing
simply take a meal and discuss the day with fellow thinkers. and intellectual insight. You gain the benefits of the “Teach-
They convene annually in month-long assemblies where they er of the Faith” story, and may represent Free Will in matters
Context
Chapter 4

amend the works collected and dedicated to Free Will and that pertain to your community and region.
discuss how Free Will has expanded in the last year. All faith-
ful answer to the Hierophant, the popularly-elected leader
of the faith chosen by Savants. The Hierophant is typically a
member of the royal family and though their bloodline car-
ries great weight, their academic prowess still comes first.
Teachers and Savants have no standing uniform or
recognizable state of attire save a tome they carry that holds
the greatest works in the religion’s archives, which are used
for the basis of discussions and debates. New interpretations
of these works are regularly presented to the Savants by the
Teachers. The tomes are often bound in red kid and have
pages trimmed in gilt.
Free Will has no holy tome or sacred days or even any
special rites. It is a faith based upon scientific reasoning and
learning in all its forms, exalting reasoning and knowledge.
Its faithful are encouraged to question and test and to pursue
the truth of the world in any manner they see fit. They take
to life with the certainty of scientists, pursuing clarity and
understanding of the world that surrounds them. In place of
sermons, they attend lectures and round-table discussions
about the community and the world at large, where they are
encouraged to debate freely without fear of reprisal or cen-
sorship.
With their open acceptance of science, the average
member of Free Will views life as a series of academic chal-
lenges that test one’s own statistical rigor. If an acolyte is too
weak to overcome their problems, they need more teaching
and instruction, which has led to a somewhat universal view
of the world as a great challenge that must be risen up to or
surpassed. While not cruel, many faithful are extremely clini-
cal, and this has been mistaken by some as ruthless or cold.

Free Will Acolyte a

Faith M embership Story
You stand in the light of reason and science. The world holds
no secrets from you that you will not discover in time. People
who are mysterious or seek to hoard knowledge deserve only
the worst kind of loathing. When interacting with the hide-
bound and dogmatic, you gain a +1 to Spirit rolls.

70
 Jinzium Scion of the Sun a
Jinzium is by far the oldest religion in Rilausia, with its roots Faith M embership Story
lying in the foundation of the Haudi Empire. It venerates
the sun god Jinzi and his domain, the entirety of the skies. You follow the path of Jinzium and delight in the presence
Its faithful believe that their souls become stars upon death, of the sun. On days where it is particularly bright and blue
and that at some point, all will be reunited with the sun in outside you feel happy and ready to get things done, granting
harmony. As such, the faithful are often kind and caring and you a +2 to Spirit rolls to stay focused.
can’t stand to see others in pain. It suffered a decline after
the Haud Empress Zoleesha IV changed the Empire’s na-
tional religion to Free Will, but has seen a resurgence in the Archon a
last century since the Jinzium Revival of 735.
Faith M embership Story
Jinzium has spread like wildfire since its revival.
The Eternal Church is watched over by the Elf Who Writes You have great standing within the church of Jinzium. You
in Fire, Igi, who holds Jinzium’s highest office, the Guiding may lead services and speak for the local church community.
Paradigm. Igi is an older elf who leads the faith (though not If in need, churches and congregations will grant you aid
without occassional problems), and is considered to be the and shelter.
hand of Jinzi.

Context
Chapter 4
Jinzium’s long life has seen many separations from
the church proper and has resulted in many separate views Soul of Sol a
of Jinzi and his nature. The eldest branch of the church, the Faith M embership Story
Eternal Church, adheres to the original tenets prior to the
faith’s eviction from the Haudi Empire. Sometimes referred Requires: Archon story
to as Orthodox Jinzium, it is quartered within the High You have embraced Jinzium with every fiber of your being.
Rilausian Forest and is watched over by Igi himself, who is You spread the word wherever you travel, regardless of how
still revered by most of the factions of Jinzium and provides darkly it is received, and through this your work has been no-
guidance to all of them, regardless of stance. ticed by the church. You are recognized as a person of great
The Revivalists, a faction centered in Dalvozzea worth and may speak for the church in pressing times.
and led by the Nine Wings of Divinity, often clashes with
the Eternal Church. The Revivalists are spiteful toward Igi,
claiming that an elf is not a fit ruler for Jinzium. It has long Orthodox Jinzist a
been believed that Jinzi orchestrates events through a choir Faith M embership Story
of angels, and the winged farishtaas believe that they are
those angels. The Revivalists are adapting the dogma and You ascribe to the purest form of Jinzium, the Eternal
the scriptures to fit in with the new world, a world where Church. Listening to the words of Igi, The Elf Who Writes
farishtaas rule, and the Eternal Church has been resistant to In Fire, fills you with pride in your faith. No matter how
that. much doubt about your faith you have, listening to a sermon
Infernal Jinzium is the faction closest related to the by Igi, even if its over the radio, will completely reassure you
Eternal Church, but their failure to update to modern views of your beliefs.
is the most pronounced. They view the winged farishtaas as
abominations, perversions that Jinzi long ago removed and
that science should not bring back. They are ruled by the Starborn Tradionalist a
Six Infernals, a council of bishop-like offices. Centuries ago, Faith M embership Story
they were sent by the Guiding Paradigm to spread the word
of Jinzium to the barbaric lands of Paldorus, but the Infer- You’ve placed your faith in the immemorial rituals of the Six
nals, separated by distance, found their own path and strayed Infernals. While some other followers of Jinzium may call
from the Eternal Church. you old fashioned, your timeless prayers and holy symbols
never fail to intrigue agnostic folks.
Regardless of their allegience, all factions of Jinzi
revere the sacred kingdom of the sky. From the walls and
gates of the clouds where angels and fey stride across the
battlements to the blue sky where the faithful join Jinzi in Angel Fever a
his court, to the night sky where Jinzi’s daughter Aeon dwells Faith M embership Story
and holds the souls of the impure in captivity until they have
proven themselves and may be released to the blue. You are a member of the Revivalist sect of Jinzium, ignoring
the Guiding Paradigm to place your attention on the angelic
Though it has seen many separations, Jinzium still winged farishtaa. Whenever you’re in the presence of such a
holds a strong place in the hearts of Rilausia. Jinzium is divine creature, you’ll never feel fatigue.
commonly found in almost every nation except Evangless,
where Tailemy holds sway. Though Tailemy is the state re-
ligion in Evangless, many people still follow and practice
Jinzium, as the nations Evangless conquered were Scions of
the Sun. Though few Jinzium churches stand openly in Evan-
glessian cities, followers are still easily found.

71
 Chapter 5

Gear
Chapter 5
Gear

Materials
Every item you have will be composed of something, of- Textile
ten times metal, wood, or fabric. Materials will be most Textiles include basic fabrics and, more commonly, leathers. Gen-
important for your weapons and armor, and you will erally, the only thing you can make using textiles are light armor,
need to decide what an item is made of when you select cloaks, and whips. Textile items have 1 less slot than metal items
that item. to hold augments and will burn away easily, if lit on fire.

Metal Wood
Weapons and armor made of metal are the modus operandi. Wood weapons and items are pretty common, and often your
Metal items are magnetic and they can get hot, but they’re not polearms and shields will include wood, though it may not be the
likely to catch on fire. Metal weapons also have the most variety primary material. Wood will give you 1 less slot on items to use for
in things that they can do, so you’ll be able to upgrade them a lot augments. Wood is also more likely to burn than other items.
with augments.

Organic Materials Available for Weapons

Organic items will often be made up of bone, though sometimes Melee & Throwing Weapons Any
they’ll also consist of animal hides or scales. Organic items are Firearms Metal, Wood
very difficult to work with, and will always have 2 less slots for
augments than their metal counterparts. Bows Metal, Organic, Wood
Crossbows Metal, Organic, Wood
72
 The Trust
The wealth of the nations is centered around a super-national bank known as the Trust. Hundreds of years old and charged with
the creation of money, the regulating of internation trade and tariffs, and supervising inflation rates inside of each nation, the Trust
has long been one of the most powerful, most prestigious organizations in the world.

Your Local Trust Branch Services Costs

A town is not a town until it has two things: a Trust branch and a
post office. The Trust has several services that are widely used and Opening an Account 5 princes
widely believed in. Foremost, the Trust acts as any bank, safeguard- Buying a Safebox 3 princes
ing people’s money. It can also be used as storage, for a person who
has an account with the Trust will have their information kept on file Buying a Safebox in the Vault 15 princes
within the Trust. A person can go to any Trust branch and access Depositing or withdrawing from your no charge
their account. Trusts will also have safeboxes, but the contents are Trust branch
(for obvious reasons) only accessible at the branch that holds them.
Trusts rarely have accounts that gain interest and they rarely Depositing or withdrawing from a 1 duke
give out credit to individuals. On occassion, a Trust branch will offer Trust branch other than your own
a special account that will change based on inflation, but, more often Converting currencies into princes 1 duke per 5 princ-
than not, this is a faulty deal. es converted
The people who work at a Trust branch are members of the
Trust, but they can also act independently. As such, many people who work at Trust branches are also moneylenders. Though the

Chapter 5
Trust does not give loans, the people who work within the Trust likely will.

Gear
Currency
The Trust produces and regulates the amount of currency in circulation. The Trust uses an old Coin Equals
measurement of currency known as the “Royalty System.” The currency uses three coins: the
duke, prince, and king. Most of the lower class deals almost exclusively with dukes, while the 10 dukes 1 prince
mercantile class deals with princes. The rather valuable king is rarely seen and only the quite 100 dukes 1 king
wealthy will use them on a regular basis.
The Duke: The duke is a unique coin, an oblong-shaped coin with a hollow square 1 prince 10 dukes
center. The coin is mostly black with white veins through it, like dark marble or obsidian. The 10 princes 1 king
most unique feature of the duke is its ability to be split into 8 pieces and then reconnected. The 1 king 100 dukes
duke is actually 8 small magnetic pieces that fit together to make one coin. They’re difficult to
split apart by accident, but the duke can be turned into a half duke, quarter duke, or eighth 1 king 10 princes
duke, as needed.
The Prince: The prince was once a white and silver coin with a shape similar to the duke but a little bit larger. How-
ever, the prince has been converted almost entirely into bills. A prince is a rectangular bill, mostly white with some silver and green
strands running through it.
The King: The king remains in its oldest form as a gold, thick, circular coin with black veins running through it. When
kings are made into bills, they are made of a thick parchment and have the same coloration as the coins.
Almost all one-serving goods will be a quarter-duke - a mug of ale, a couple vegetables, some meat, etc. A good sword will
be around 5 princes (equal to 50 dukes, or 200 mugs of ale). In a day’s work, the average person will make between a duke and three
dukes.

History & Culture

The Trust is watched over by Caxan (kay-zen). Named after its founder, the title of Caxan has been held by many people over the
history of the Trust. Chosen by an elite council, Caxan is the embodiment of the Trust’s core tenets of balance and fair trade and
serves as the arbiter of equilibrium. Whenever a Caxan passes away, the time comes to select a new Caxan. Many apply but only
one is judged to truly incarnate the values set forth by the founder. Though this is certainly not the case, Caxan is often depicted
as a muscular, six-armed man.
The Trust is akin to an enormous governing body, and it has membership worldwide. There are two types of member-
ship - trustees and those who follow Caxan. Anybody can be a trustee. Being a trustee simply means that you follow the economic
standards put forward by the Trust, something that often helps businesses thrive in the capitalist societies around the globe. Being
a follower of Caxan is almost like a cult: you are a balancer, traveling worldwide to ensure that the economic balance is maintained
and that trade remains fair. Caxan, his employees, and his followers are regulators, ensuring every economic exchange is fair and
just. While your average Tephran may never see a member of the Trust doing their job, you can be assured they are working behind
the scenes to keep the Rilausian economy running smoothly. As such, members of the Trust are held in high regard wherever they
go. The Trust is not tied to any country or land, and therefore takes no part in the collection of taxes. In addition, should a govern-
ment try to manipulate or cheat them, the Trust will drop all financial support and ban them from Trust services. While this may
seem harsh, the Trust views this as a just reward for actions taken against them.

73
 Melee Weaponry
Melee attacks are those that target adjacent foes. When Light Weapons
making a melee attack, you can either be using a close Cost: 2 AP
melee weapon, be fighting unarmed, or using a polearm Damage Class: 4
or flexible weapon (like a chain or whip). There is a
wide variety of melee weapons available to you, and they Wielded With: One Hand
have the highest damage potential. Target: Adjacent Foe
Light weapons are defined as any small, one-handed weapon that
Unarmed is easily concealable. All small items can count as light weapons.
If you’re thinking about getting really good with light weapons,
Cost: 1 AP you might want to check out the Espionage skill, one of the Cun-
ning skills.
Damage Class: 2
Target: Adjacent Foe
Medium Weapons
Chapter 5

An unarmed attack is any attack that does not use a weapon.

Gear

Instead, unarmed attacks can be anything from your fists to Cost: 2 AP

your elbows to your legs and knees. Unarmed attacks are the Damage Class: 6
fastest possible attacks at 1 action point apiece, but they do sig-
nificantly less damage than attacks with weapons. Wielded With: One Hand
Unarmed attacks utilize no equipment and thus cannot Target: Adjacent Foe
be upgraded by an armsmith. Medium weapons are one-handed weapons that are not easily
concealable. Medium weapons are the bulk of one-handed weap-
ons - pretty much anything that looks large enough to deal some
real damage. If you want to get great with medium weapons, you
should look at the Swashbuckling skill under Dexterity.
Weapons Sizes
There are four sizes of weapons: light, medium, heavy, and (the
more rare) super-heavy. This is how to define each one. Heavy Weapons
Cost: 2 AP
Weapon Size How to Define
Damage Class: 8
Light small enough to fit in your pocket Wielded With: Two Hands
Medium too large to fit in your pocket, but you’ll only Target: Adjacent Foe
need one hand to use it
A heavy weapon is loosely defined as any weapon that is used in
Heavy so large that you’ll need two hands to swing two hands. A heavy weapon is virtually impossible to conceal on
it (and there’s no chance of fitting it in your your person. If you want to master heavy weapons, you should
pocket) look into the Overpower skill, located under the Brute attribute.
Super-Heavy you need two hands to carry it, swing it, and
you’ll need to get your footing right in order
to use it Super-Heavy Weapons
Cost: 2 AP
Damage Class: 10
Wielded With: Two Hands
Target: Adjacent Foe
Super-heavy weapons are immense, building-destroying tools of
destruction. Super-heavy weapons require two hands to wield and
two hands to carry. These do a lot of damage but require the
wielder to take up footing in order to swing them. Entering into
footing stance requires 1 action point, and you cannot normally
enter into another stance while you’re in footing.
You may use a super-heavy weapon without taking foot-
ing, but doing so gives you a -3 on your accuracy and strike rolls,
as if it were an impromptu weapon.
74
 Variant Weaponry
You can also take any of your normal melee weapons and apply some variants onto them. Want to make a whip?
Make it flexible. Want to make a pike? Turn it into a polearm. Want to make a long stick with chains dangling from
it, make it into a flexible polearm!

Flexible ability to grab, -1 damage class Combination Weapons

You can make any weapon into a non-rigid one, a weapon While you can make any melee weapon into a flexible
that has flexible parts like a whip, chain, or flail. Flexible weapon, a polearm, or a throwing weapon, you can also
weapons can be used to make a grab, just like a hand can. combine those aspects. Want to make a flexible pole-
Because the weapon loses some of its impact power, its arm? Go for it! You’ll just have to apply the damage class
damage class is 1 lower. penalty both times, but now you have a weapon that’ll hit
people 10 feet away and you can make grabs.
Polearm +5 feet of reach, -1 damage class If you want to create a bolas, you can combine a
Medium and heavier weapons can be polearms. The longer throwing weapon with a flexible weapon. Now you can
handle allows polearms to attack any foe within 10 feet, but throw a weapon that can make grabs. Want to tie up an
also makes the weapon more difficult to swing, decreasing opponent? Throw a light bolas at their legs, making a
its damage class by 1. grab, and you’ll nab them.

Chapter 5
Gear
Throwing can be thrown, -1 damage class
Throwing weapons can be anything from throwing knives
to javelins to gigantic hurling spheres. Weapons designed to
be thrown have 1 less damage class, but can hit people at a
distance. Each thrown weapon has a different distance, de-
pending on its size. For every 10 feet you throw a weapon be-
yond its distance, it takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. Weapons
not designed to be thrown can go no further than 25 feet.
Light: 25 feet
Medium: 75 feet
Heavy: 50 feet
Note: A thrown weapon is no longer a melee weapon for the pur-
poses of determing how specialties work.

Impromptu Weapons
(-3 on Accuracy and Strike)
Anything that is not designed to be used as a weapon is impromptu weaponry. Impromptu weaponry is assigned a weapon class by
the narrator and has a -3 to accuracy and strike rolls. Once a weapon is assigned a weapon class, it cannot change weapon classes
(unless it breaks in two!).
For example, if some characters pick up their chairs, they are heavy melee weapons (because they’re using them two-
handed), so they have a damage class of 8 and they take a -3 to their accuracy and strike rolls. If they later break off the chair legs,
they can use them as impromptu light weapons, so they’d have a damage class of 4.

75
 Firearms
Blasting people with double-barreled shotguns, unholstering your revolver in an instant and loading your
target with lead, or scoping down your rifle’s sights and shooting a man at two hundreds yards away - it
doesn’t matter who you’re trying to kill, firearms will do you right.
Firearms come in several varieties, but they’ll be largely covered under four different categories:
light, medium, heavy, and super-heavy. Each of those categories will have a basic damage class and range.
Once you’ve chosen the size of your firearm, you will also choose your ammunition type. Most will choose
the standard cartridge, the normal damaging round. Some might choose “shot” to turn their weapon into
a shotgun and deal more damage up close. Others will use the sniper cartridge, a long range round with
slightly lower damage, or the high damage jacketed rounds. Once you’ve chosen your choice of ammuni-
tion, you may change it for 1 action point, assuming you are carrying another ammunition type.
Unlike other weapons, firearms use accuracy to determine your damage instead of your strike. You
only roll once for firearms - your accuracy will determine if you hit, and then you will tier the result to get
Chapter 5
Gear

damage. As you can imagine, accuracy is twice as important for a gunslinger as most others.
Firearms have to be readied between every shot. This can represent rechambering, reloading, or
cocking the hammer of the firearm. When combat begins, you can often assume that the firearm is readied,
but after firing, you must ready it again.

Light Firearms Heavy Firearms

Cost to Fire: 2 AP Cost: 2 AP
Damage Class: 2 Damage Class: 6
Wielded With: One Hand Wielded With: Two Hands
Readying: 0 AP Readying: 1 AP
Target: Any foe within 50 feet. For every 10 feet beyond that the Target: Any foe within 200 feet. For every 50 feet beyond that the
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
Light firearms are peashooters, normally the type that could fit in Heavy firearms are your rifles and shotguns - your two-handed
your palm or in your pocket, and a gun that somebody searching long rifles. They have a pretty good range, but require 2 hands to
you would often entirely overlook. On the flipside, though, they use and rechambering costs 1 action point.
deal very minimal damage and are more likely to be an irritant
than a killer.
Super-Heavy Firearms
Cost: 2 AP
Medium Firearms Damage Class: 8
Cost to Fire: 2 AP
Wielded With: Two Hands
Damage Class: 4
Readying: 2 AP
Wielded With: One Hand
Target: Any foe within 300 feet. For every 100 feet beyond that
Readying: 1 AP if you’re using one hand, or 0 AP if you’re using the target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
two hands
Target: Any foe within 100 feet. For every 25 feet beyond that the Super-heavy firearms are very large guns, meant to take down
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. everything from elephants to raging, steam-powered automatons.
These do a lot of damage, but require the wielder to take up foot-
Medium firearms are all of your revolvers, sawed-off shotguns, ing in order to fire them. Entering into footing stance requires 1
and small rifles. These guns are handguns - they can be held in action point, and you cannot normally enter into another stance
one hand, though many will use two hands to help cock the ham- while you’re in footing.
mer, rechamber the bullet, and lend support to absorb the recoil You may use a super-heavy firearm without taking foot-
of the firearm. Note that reloading them normally requires 1 ac- ing, but doing so gives you a -3 on your accuracy roll, as if it were
tion point, but if you dedicate a second hand to the gun, it costs an impromptu weapon.
0 action points to reload.

76
 Double-Barreled
Firearms can be made double-barreled for no
additional cost. By making a weapon into a
double-barreled firearm, you can fire it twice
before having to ready it. However, reloading
the double-barreled firearm takes 1 more ac-
tion point per round loaded.

Chapter 5
Gear
Firearm Ammunitions tion point. High damage cartridges are very powerful
and deadly, but much more difficult to use.
Firearms can use a wide range of ammunitions,
and each type of ammunition is going to give Shot
you some different bonuses and penalties. You Shot, commonly known as lead shot or buckshot, is
may change your firearms ammunition for 1 ac- composed of numerous small projectiles that are all
tion point. shot out of the firearm at the same time. At a dis-
tance, shot has a higher likelihood of hitting. However,
Cartridge the further the shot is from the firearm, the less pen-
etrating power it has. Rather than losing accuracy at a
The cartridge is the most common type of ammuni- range, shot decreases its damage class by 1 for every
tion used. Normally a cartridge is a bullet packaged range increment past the basic distance.
with the gunpowder and primer to most easily blast
holes in nearby villains. The cartridge uses the basic
statistics for the firearm. Sniper Cartridge
Sniper cartridges are specifically designed to go far
Blank and go fast. A sniper cartridge only loses 1 accuracy
for every 2 range increments it travels. However, snip-
Blanks are cartridges that do not fire anything - they er shots have 1 less damage class than normal.
produce all of the effects of having fired the firearm,
but do not blast forward any projectile. Somebody us-
ing blanks is going to have an easier time clubbing
somebody to death with their firearm than they will
shooting them with it.

High Damage Cartridge

High damage cartridges, often jacketed or armor-
piercing rounds or solid shot, increase the damage
class by 2 but also increase the readying time by 1 ac-
77
 Bows
Bows are difficult weapons to use, requiring great Heavy Bows
amounts of training and skill. For those who master Cost: 3 AP
them, however, they can easily rival firearms and deal a Damage Class: 7
great amount of damage. As per normal, bows use ac-
curacy to determine if they hit and strike to determine Wielded With: Two Hands
how much damage they deal. Though you can get a bow Target: Any foe within 75 feet. For every 25 feet beyond that the
of any size, they always require two hands to use. target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
Heavy bows are typically about 4-5 feet tall. They have a decent
range, and deal some pretty solid damage when they strike.
Light Bows
Cost: 2 AP
Damage Class: 3
Super-Heavy Bows
Cost: 3 AP
Wielded With: Two Hands
Chapter 5

Damage Class: 9 (wielded as a heavy weapon)

Gear

Target: Any foe within 25 feet. For every 10 feet beyond that the
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. Wielded With: Two Hands
Light bows are most commonly slightshots, though very small Target: Any foe within 200 feet. For every 75 feet beyond that the
bows do exist. They don’t deal much damage, but are faster than target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
their larger counterparts. Super-heavy bows are designed to hit opponents at a great dis-
tance and their long arrows can deal excrutiating amounts of
Medium Bows damage. Super-heavy bows require the wielder to take up foot-
ing in order to fire them. Entering into footing stance requires 1
Cost: 2 AP action point, and you cannot normally enter into another stance
Damage Class: 5 while you’re in footing.
Wielded With: Two Hands You may use a super-heavy bow without taking footing,
Target: Any foe within 50 feet. For every 10 feet beyond that the but doing so gives you a -3 on your accuracy roll, as if it were an
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. impromptu weapon.
Medium bows are between 2 and 4 feet tall, have decent pull, and
can deal fair amounts of damage.

Arrows & Bolts Standard

Most crossbows and bows will use the standard ar-
Bows and crossbows shoot arrows and bolts, re- rows and bolts. These can refer to broadhead arrows
spectively. There are numerous ways to craft ar- or some other normal version.
rows and bolts, though they are often made of
wood with a stone or metal tip. You may change Bladed
your choice of crossbow bolt for 1 action point,
but changing your choice of arrow costs noth- Bladed bolts and arrows have barbs near the tip that
cause bleeding from the target, though they fly less
ing. true. Using a bladed bolt or arrow gives a -2 on the
accuracy roll, but causes 1 point of bleeding per tier
of damage dealt.
78
Crossbows
Crossbows are weapons that in many ways are similar to Heavy Crossbows
firearms, but they are more difficult to load and can deal Cost: 2 AP
more damage. Bows and crossbows use the same types Damage Class: 7
of ammunitions, listed below under “Arrows & Bolts.”
Wielded With: Two Hands
Crossbows use accuracy to determine your dam- Readying: 2 AP
age instead of your strike. You only roll once for cross-
bows - your accuracy will determine if you hit, and then Target: Any foe within 100 feet. For every 25 feet beyond that the
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
you will tier the result to get damage.
Heavy crossbows require two hands to use and are difficult to
conceal. They’re good at a range, but have a hefty reload time.
Light Crossbows
Cost to Fire: 2 AP
Damage Class: 3
Super-Heavy Crossbows

Chapter 5
Cost: 2 AP

Gear
Wielded With: One Hand
Damage Class: 9
Readying: 1 AP
Wielded With: Two Hands
Target: Any foe within 25 feet. For every 10 feet beyond that the
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll. Readying: 3 AP
Target: Any foe within 150 feet. For every 50 feet beyond that the
Light crossbows are often small, concealable crossbows that target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
shoot a small metal spike or dart. Many people will attach them
to their wrists. Super-heavy crossbows are almost ballistas - they do a great deal
of damage but are very difficult to use in the heat of battle. These
do a lot of damage, but require the wielder to take up footing in
Medium Crossbows order to fire them. Entering into footing stance requires 1 action
Cost to Fire: 2 AP point, and you cannot normally enter into another stance while
you’re in footing.
Damage Class: 5
You may use a super-heavy bow without taking footing,
Wielded With: One Hand but doing so gives you a -3 on your accuracy roll, as if it were an
Readying: 1 AP impromptu weapon.
Target: Any foe within 50 feet. For every 10 feet beyond that the
target stands, the shot takes a -1 on the accuracy roll.
Medium crossbows are often called pistol crossbows, as they can
be held with one hand and fired like a pistol.

Hooked Signal
These arrows and bolts are designed to stick in a tar- Signal arrows and bolts are known for their whistling
get and not come out. Though they do no less dam- qualities. They are extremely loud and will let every-
age, removing them requires 2 action points (whereas one in a large area know that they were shot. Signal
most arrows and bolts can be removed for one action bolts and arrows, however, have a damage class 1 lower
point, if it is even necessary to do so). than normal.
Hooked arrows and bolts are often used for
latching onto a wall. You can attach rope to a hooked
arrow or bolt for 1 action point and, when it strikes a
wall, you’ll be able to climb up or zip-line down the
rope to where the arrow or bolt struck.

79
 Armor
Armor comes in many shapes and sizes, types and qualities. Armor can be made out of leather, bone, iron,
steel, bronze, or numerous other materials. Armor was for many years a requirement for warriors, but re-
cently has gone down in popularity with the rise in magnetech weaponry. Nonetheless, it remains a com-
mon sight on the battlefield.
Using Armor: There are five degrees of armor - minimal, light, medium, heavy, and super-heavy.
Armor negatively affects a person’s evade roll and speed, but gives them a great amount of damage soak.
The “soak class” works the exact same way as damage class - for every tier you receive on your defense roll,
you soak that damage. For example, if you received a tier 2 soak in heavy armor (soak class of 4), you would
soak 8 damage from the attack.
Penalties: Armor negatively affects your evade, speed, and ability to move about. You’ll suffer a
penalty to evade, a penalty to your land-based movement, and a penalty to your climbing and swimming
speeds while wearing armor.
Chapter 5
Gear

Describing your Armor: How your armor looks is up to you and your narrator. Thick robes could
be defined as light armor, but so could a breastplate. Chainmail covered in fish bones and a suit of field
plate could both be heavy armor. How you describe your armor is your choice.

Evade Speed Climbing &

Type Soak Class Penalty Penalty Swimming Penalty Material Options
Unarmored 0 - -0 ft. -0 ft. None, Organic, or Textile
Minimal 1 - -0 ft. -0 ft. Metal, Organic, or Textile
Light 2 -1 -5 ft. -5 ft. Metal, Organic, or Textile
Medium 3 -2 -5 ft. -10 ft. Metal or Organic
Heavy 4 -3 -10 ft. -15 ft. Metal or Organic
Super-Heavy 5 -4 -10 ft. -20 ft. Metal

Donning your Armor

For thick suits, putting on your armor can be quite an
ordeal, and when you’re awoken in the middle of the
night in nothing but your skivvies, you might need to
put some armor on pronto.

Type Time to Don

Unarmored -
Minimal 3 AP
Light 6 AP With Help
Medium 24 AP 12 AP
Heavy 3 minutes 1 minute
Super-Heavy 10 minutes 3 minutes

80
Deflection Items
A shield is used for deflecting incoming attacks. While the term “shield” indeed provokes in the mind a large,
bulwark strapped on one arm and used to protect the body, this is not the only defensive item used. Companion
weapons, such as the parrying dagger and cloak are also common, and each has its own merits.
You use shields and companion weapons to make deflections. A deflection costs 1 action point, and may be
used whenever you are attacked.
Cloak +3 to evade against melee attacks
A cloak is often wrapped around one arm or, at the very least, guided by one arm, to blind opponents, throw off
their weapons, and mislead them. A cloak can only be used against melee attacks, granting a +3 to evade for the
deflection. The cloak, however, allows you to use your hand freely and make grabs.
Material Options: Organic or Textile

Chapter 5
Parrying Dagger +3 to evade against melee attacks

Gear
The parrying dagger is used to deflect attacks while the primary weapon makes them. A dagger can only be
used against melee attacks, granting a +3 to evade for the deflection roll. Furthermore, a dagger counts as a light
weapon.
Material Options: Metal, Organic, or Wood
Shield +4 to evade against melee and ranged attacks
A shield is strapped onto the forearm and held with the hand. You can hold things with your shield hand, but -
while doing so - you cannot make deflections. The shield grants you a +4 to evade for deflections, and can be used
both against melee and ranged attacks.
Material Options: Metal, Organic, or Wood

81
 Animals
M ovement c
You only have to spend 1 action point a turn to guide
Horses
your animal. It will spend as much of its own action The quintessential mount, fast horses and durable war-
points as it takes to get to the destination you desig- horses will transport any gentleman adventurer across
nate. Your animal shares your turn, so this will happen the battlefield with ease. Simple enough to control, these
instantly. noble beasts may not be strong in combat, but they will
get you into or out of the fray.
A ttacking & Other Options c
To make your animal perform an action outside of mov- AP: 3 Cost: 100 princes
HP: 16 Wounds: 9
ing, both you and it have to spend the number of action Priority: +0 Speed: 50 feet
points it would take any normal character without spe- Note: If the horse spends all of its action points moving in a turn, it moves
cialties to perform the action. at twice its speed. A horse can be mounted.
Chapter 5
Gear

U pkeep c Guard
Hide (natural organic armor)
Now, most high-class establishments won’t allow ani- Eva: -1 Def: +1
mals inside, so remember to bring something to secure Soak: 3 | 6 | 9 | 12
your animal outside of the building before going in. Note: Horses have two additional called shot locations for their legs, but have
Also be prepared for paying for animal upkeep, which no arms or hands.
generally amounts to a duke a day for feed. Veterinar- Attacks
ians aren’t commonplace, so be sure to keep your animal Hoof (2 AP)
in good health. Natural Medium Weapon
Acc: +0 Stk: +1
Damage: 6 | 12 | 18 | 24
Skills Attributes
Agility: +2 Brute: +3
Brawl: +1 Cunning: +0
Overpower: +1 Dexterity: +2
Resilience: +2 Spirit: +1
Shamanism: +1 Sciences: +0
Reference
Specialties: Gallop, Large
Stories: Four-Legged, Natural Armor

82
Canines Birds of Prey
From wolves to coyotes to domesticated dogs, canines Trained birds are not only worthy companions, they’re
can be a gentleman adventurer’s best friend. Stronger also amazing messengers, guides, and scouts. With per-
while in large groups, canines are always a worthy ally. fect spatial memory, they’ll always know how to return
to previous locations.
AP: 3 Cost: 35 princes
HP: 12 Wounds: 8 AP: 3 Cost: 45 princes
Priority: +0 Speed: 40 feet HP: 11 Wounds: 8
Note: A canine can be mounted by a gnome (and other similarly small peo- Priority: +0 Speed: 25 feet, 45 feet flight
ple). A canine can track by scent alone.
Guard
Guard Unarmored
Hide (natural organic armor) Eva: +1 Def: +0
Eva: +0 Def: +0 Soak: 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Soak: 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 Note: Birds of prey have two additional called shot locations for their wings

Chapter 5
Gear
Note: Canines have two additional called shot locations for their legs, but (which are treated as legs), but have no arms or hands.
have no arms or hands.
Attacks
Attacks Talon (2 AP)
Bite (2 AP) Natural Light Weapon
Natural Medium Weapon Acc: +3 Stk: +1
Acc: +1 Stk: +3 Damage: 4 | 8 | 12 | 16
Damage: 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 Note: When the bird of prey has dived 10 or more feet before making an
Note: The canine gains a +1 to strike for each ally within 25 feet that also attack, the target must make a brute resist against the bird’s agility (+2) or
has the Pack Instincts story. The canine can begin a move, attack, and then fall prone.
complete the move.
Skills Attributes
Skills Attributes Ace: +1 Brute: +1
Espionage: +1 Brute: +2 Agility: +2 Cunning: +3 (+10 when noticing)
Frenzy: +1 Cunning: +4 (+2 when tracking by scent Espionage: +2 Dexterity: +3
Resilience: +1 and another +2 when on guard) Resilience: +1 Spirit: +0
Showmanship: +2 Dexterity: +1 Tactical: +1 Sciences: +0
Tactical: +2 Spirit: +0
Sciences: +0 Stances
Thermal Gliding
Special Actions While in this stance, the bird of prey moves at double its flight speed.
Howl (2 AP)
The canine gives a (Showmanship +2: +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 ) bonus to Reference
strike to the next attack roll made by any allies within 25 feet. Specialties: Death from Above, Thermal Gliding
Reference Stories: Eagle Eye, Innate Sense of Direction (can find its way
Specialties: Bounding Lunge, Howl back to any location it’s previously been), Small, Wings

Stories: Four-Legged, Guard, Natural Armor, Pack Instincts,

Scent

83
 Equipment
Adventuring Basics Clothing 5+ princes
A beginning character has full reign to choose what they’d (gentry) Very elegant and formal dresswear that can be
like from the following list. The selections must be reason- worn to any number of occassions. The cost of
able (that is, only what you could logically carry), but we’ll this good can range from 5 princes (a meager
suit) to hundreds of princes.
let you be the judge of that. After character creation, you’ll
need to purchase your supplies normally. Crowbar 1 prince
If there’s something not on this list that you think An Iron bar that uses leverage to pry open things
you could have, go ahead and take it. If it’s something big, such as doors and chests.
ask your narrator before hand. We obviously haven’t includ- Flare 10 princes
ed every piece of equipment that a character might start off A tube, filled with explosive chemicals which
with, so feel free to fill your character in as you’d like. launchs into the air and glows red.
Glass Bottle 1 duke
Chapter 5

Backpack 2 dukes A glass container which can hold liquids without

Gear

A standard leather pack that can be used to carry contaminating its contents.
supplies, provisions and tools. Grappling 3 princes
Bedroll 1 duke Hook A three pronged iron hook which can be tied to a
A set of cotton bedding that makes sleeping in rope and used to reach high up places.
the outdoors much more comfortable, especially Hose (10 ft) 10 princes
in cold climates.
A hollow rubber tube that can be used to funnel
Cable (25 ft) 5 princes and direct liquids
Strings of metal wire woven together to form a Inkpen 1 duke
sturdy metal rope.
A small fountain pen with ink held inside and
Case 1 duke funneled to the tip.
A leather or wood case to keep scrolls from being Journal 3 dukes
warped by the elements. Holds up to two scrolls
or maps. A small, easily storable, notebook which can be
used to store important information or personal
Chain (10 ft) 1 prince memoirs
Large metal links connected end to end to form Ladder 2 dukes
a long chain.
A ten foot ladder which can be propped up
Chalk 1 duke against walls to grant access to elevated areas.
A white stick of gritty material that can be used Lantern 2 dukes
to draw on stone or paper.
A gas-filled lantern that pushes darkness away
Charcoal 1 duke 25 feet.
Black nuggets of charcol which, when set on Lockpicks 3 dukes
fire, burn for an extended period of time. Can
also be used to draw on stone or paper. Metal picks which are essential to openning
locks.
Chest 1 prince
Magnifying 1 prince
A holding box of sorts, normally made of wood
or a stronger material, and often accompanied Glass A round glass lens which provides a clearer view
by a lock. of smaller objects and aids with delicate and de-
tailed tasks.
Clothing 3 dukes
Metal 4 dukes
(working) Simple utilitarian clothing that would commonly
Canister
be owned by the working class. A metal cylinder designed to be resealable
1 prince Musical 2 princes
Clothing
(middle-class) More formal clothing that could proudly be worn Instrument A musical instrument, usually made of wood,
on the streets in a city. leather, hair, or bone depending on the type of
instrument.

84
Pole (5 ft, 5 dukes Armor & Shields
steel) A five foot long steel pole.
Minimal 1 prince
Pole (5 ft, 1 duke
Light Armor 5 princes
wood) A five foot long wooden pole.
Medium Armor 15 princes
Rope (25 ft) 4 dukes
Heavy Armor 40 princes
A 25 foot length of woven fibers which can be
used to climb, carry, bind, or tie just about any- Super-Heavy Armor 75 princes
thing together.
Shield 4 princes
Rations 2 dukes
(1 day) Cloak 1 prince
Enough food stuffs to provide an average adult
with enough energy to get through the day. Parrying Dagger 1 princes
Spyglass 10 princes
Two magnifying glasses fitted to opposite ends
Weapons
of a cylinder which allows the user to see far into Light Melee Weapon 1 prince
the distance.
Medium Melee Weapon 7 princes
Tent 2 princes
Heavy Melee Weapon 15 princes
A large piece of canvas with supports which,
when inside, provides some protection from in- Light Firearm 2 princes

Chapter 5
climate weather such as rain and snow.

Gear
Medium Firearm 5 princes
Torch 1 duke
Heavy Firearm 12 princes
A wooden handle wrapped with a slow burning
substance at one end that will provide light at Super-Heavy Firearm 20 princes
night or in poorly lit areas.
Light Bow 5 dukes
Vials 3 dukes
Medium Bow 1 prince
A set of five glass vials and cork stoppers which
can carry liquids without contaminating them. Heavy Bow 5 princes
Super-Heavy Bow 17 princes
Light Crossbow 2 princes
Medium Crossbow 4 princes
Heavy Crossbow 7 princes
Super-Heavy Crossbow 14 princes

Can you have an animal?

Animals (found a couple pages back) are obvious-
ly well outside your 10 prince starting budget, but
for many characters, such as hunters and mounted
knights, a horse or a dog might be necessary to your
character concept. If it’s necessary, ask your narrator
if you can have one. It’s probably okay.
That said, if your concept is “I have a hundred
hunting hounds that travel with me,” that might be a
concept you need to work toward.

85
 For Sale
Elympia Dark 4 princes per glass, 40 princes per bottle Spendo-Grenade 3 princes
One of the most popular drinks in Evangless, this satyr-brewed Sometimes you just have to blow something up. Spendo under-
dark lager never fails to pick one’s spirits up. It’s rich flavor re-
stands. That’s why he created the Spendo-Grenade. This conceal-
stores 4 hit points per glass. A bottle contains 10 glasses worth. It
able bomb is a statuette of Spendo the gnome himself (if Spendo
costs 1 AP per glass to drink. Please drink responsibly. smelled like gunpowder, had dark green skin and clothes, and
made ticking sounds like a bomb). It costs 1 action point to ac-
tivate the bomb and 2 action points to throw it. It will explode at
CRIMSON 30 princes the beginning of your next turn. It deals 10 damage to everyone
by Crimson Marshal Lucinda Mirasol in your target square and all squares adjacent to it. People in
those squares can spend 1 action point to attempt a resist the
This controversial fashion line by the infamous Evanglessian impending explosion with their Dexterity. If they recieve a tier 2
militarist didn’t get its name simply for its creator’s rank; each result or higher, they take no damage and move out of the blast
piece cannot be caught on tier 1 fire! This clothing counts as range.
Chapter 5
Gear

minimal armor and is guaranteed to look downright dashing in

every season. SPENDO-BRAND: 91.6% GUARANTEED!

Mindcuffs 3 princes Spendo-Brand Illumitorch 2 princes

Developed by the Dolby Home for the Scientifically Unstable, Whether you’re afraid of the dark or simply can’t see in it, Spen-
these handcuffs can be used for one action point grabs. Attach- do the gnome has the perfect fix! Torches are hot and can burn
able to a maximum of two body parts, any hands or legs grabbed you; that’s dangerous! Use Spendo’s illumitorches instead! Eas-
become unusable. Perfect for keeping any doomsday-machine ily wielded in one hand and concealable, Spendo illumitorches
obsessed evil genius unable to build, the target can only free a consist of small hand-cranked bulbs which project light 25 feet
body part by making a tier 2 brute resist or by the cuffs’ owner around themselves.
releasing them. SPENDO-BRAND: 91.6% GUARANTEED!

Water Filter 15 princes The Lawn-Deformer 32 princes

An essential gadget for safari hunters and desert scavengers alike, Spendo brings you his newest product in his line of landscaping
this handy tool attaches to any flask or bottle. Simply by tipping tools. Designed with vigilante gardeners in mind, this nifty chain-
it over you will pour out any impurities leaving only the cleanest saw acts as a medium weapon. Whenever you successfully hit an
of water behind. It can be used 15 times before breaking and is opponent, you can spend an action point to deal 1 unsoakable
concealable. damage to them by spinning the chainsaw blades. This can be
done as many times as you have remaining action points during
p Spendo-Brand Trinkets M
your current turn.
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Any-Altitude Parachute 4 princes Protective Goggles 10 princes

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You’re in the middle of a barfight. Your chosen foe pushes a table of light.
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This handy monocle allows you to see heat through anything

Chapter 5
deemed poor cover.

Gear
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 Chapter 6

Brute
The Brute Attribute includes these skills:
Brawl
Frenzy
Overpower
Resilience
Chapter 6
Brute

88
Brute is a measurement of your beefiness, your ability to stand and take punishment, and the strength you
put behind your actions. The brute is strong, difficult to take down, will fight the longest and push the hard-
est. If you’re the brute amongst your fellow adventurers, odds are you’ll be meleeing opponents while your
friends stand back. You’ll be the one taking hits and dealing them in kind.

What can you do with your brute attribute?

Breath Holding They are noticeably aware of your physical prowess.

Whether it be diving into a lake to grab treasure from the bottom, They feel inclined to avoid you, making them unable to
or attempting to not breathe in a poisonous gas, you’re doing your spend their next action point against you.
best to keep clean air inside your lungs for as long as possible.
They know they should avoid you, making them unable
Last Breath: When you decide that you’re going to hold your to spend their next two action points against you.
breath, you immediately take a gulp of air and hold it. From that They want nothing less than to avoid you, making them
point on, you can hold your breath based on your brute roll: unable to spend their next three action points against
15 turns (about a minute and a half) you!
30 turns (about three minutes) Note: A single target can only be affected by one intimidation
at a time.
75 turns (about seven and a half minutes)
200 turns (about twenty minutes) Hold
No Last Breath: However, if you were caught by surprise Brute can be used for holding an item in place, a door shut, and
by the sudden lack of air and didn’t have enough time to take a keeping a firm grip on a priceless artifact. If you are holding

Chapter 6
Brute
breath, that’s going to drastically lower the amount of time you something, and another person is trying to get it, you would sim-
can hold your breath. Instead, your brute roll will use this chart: ply make opposed brute rolls. Since you’re acting defensively, if
there is a tie, they win.
5 turns (about half a minute)
10 turns (about a minute)
20 turns (about two minutes)
Pulling
Instead of attempting to lift an object, you choose to pull it on
40 turns (about four minutes) the ground. While easier, pulling an object requires extra effort
to move.
Difficult Lifting Move +3 AP (not possible if you only have 3 AP per
turn)
You can use your bodily strength to attempt to pick heavy things
up to move them. Lifting can also be applied when using your Move +2 AP
strength to move something attempting to crush your party, such Move +1 AP
as a boulder falling on the party or a lowering ceiling trap.
As a Move
You can barely lift it. After 3 turns, you’ll drop it, and you
cannot move while holding it. Weight Penalties
Narrator: Determining Weight
You can lift it and move, but it costs 2 extra action points Obviously certain objects are going to Large Rock -3
to do so. After 10 turns, you’ll drop it. be heavier than others. The bigger the Tree -6
You can lift it and move around fairly easily. It costs 1 object, the higher the penalty (or bo- Automobile -9
extra action point to move, and you can hold it for 30 nus) to brute when attempting to lift or House Ceiling -12
turns. pull. A giant statue should be coupled
with a high penalty to brute. However, lifting should only be
The object is proving to be no problem. You can move used when a large amount of strength would be required. For
normally and put it down at your leisure. example, players shouldn’t have to roll on lifting a small box of
feathers. Another thing to note is the object’s surface. A wide,
completely flat-surfaced stone block may be lifted, but has no
Forceful Intimidation hand-holes to be pulled by.
Resist: Brute or Spirit (at their discretion, tiers down)
Attempt Cost: 1 AP
You’re big, strong, and scary, and they should avoid you at all
costs! You can intimidate anyone, regardless of whether or not
they can actually understand you. You can intimidate anyone who
can see you.

89
 Brawlers have no respect for such things Acc HP
+1 +9
as personal space, codes of honor, or tradi- Eva
tional weaponry. They fight hard, they fight Drunken Boxing +1
dirty, and they fight to win. Brawlers are of- Brawl Specialty
ten experts with unarmed blows and using Cost: Called Shot +1 AP
their fearsome strength to cripple, grab, and When you make a called shot, it’s so wild and unpredictable
that it’s difficult to evade. When you make a drunken called shot
kill their enemies. Yet sometimes too will (whether you’re sober or not), you roll your die to determine the
an enormous man with an even more enor- called shot location randomly. By doing this, you give yourself a
Chapter 6

mous axe get right in and brawl as well. bonus to your accuracy equal to your skill in Brawl.
Brute

Stk HP
Brawl includes +2 +10
the following Pri
specialties: Fisticuffs +1
Acc HP
+10 Brawl Specialty
+1
Eva Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Block with a Grab +1 Bare-knuckle boxing is your forté. When you enter this stance,
Brawl Specialty you are ready to do some serious damage using just your fists.
You can only be in this stance if you have at least one hand not
Cost: 0 AP reflexively holding anything. While in this stance, your unarmed attacks are
When your opponent throws their punch at you, you don’t just one damage class higher, plus an additional damage class per 6
block their fist: you grab hold of it. Whenever you successfully skill points you have in Brawl.
evade an attack by an opponent who is within your reach and you So, if you have 12 points in Brawl, while you’re in this
are able to grab them, you may automatically (and for 0 action stance, your unarmed attack would have a damage class of 5 (2
points) attempt a grab upon their hand (or, if they attacked you normally, plus 1 for the stance, plus an additional 2 for the 12
with a different body part, the grab will be upon that location). points you have in Brawl).
Acc HP Eva HP
+1 +9 +2 +7
Stk Stk
Dirty Fighting +2 Fluid +1
Brawl Specialty Brawl Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Cost: 1 AP reflexively
You’re an expert at hitting where it hurts and causing the oppo- You control all those who attack you. Any time an adjacent op-
nent to flinch. While you are in this stance, every time your oppo- ponent attacks you but you successfully evade, you may spend 1
nent fails to resist one of your called shots, they open themselves action point reflexively to move your attacker into any adjacent,
to reflexive attacks from those adjacent to them. The reflexive unoccupied space that has solid, non-lethal ground for them to
attacks cost the normal amount of action points from those who stand upon.
decide to take the opportunity. Since you caused it, you cannot
make a reflexive attack from this.

90
 Acc HP Acc HP
+2 +10 +1 +9
Stk Eva
Grapple +1 Knock Aside +1
Brawl Specialty Brawl Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Cost: Deflect (1 AP reflexively)
Once you grab somebody, you can turn it into a full on grapple, With a swift knock, you can push aside an attack with the sheer
shutting down their ability to move and making it difficult for force of your body. You may reflexively deflect attacks from melee
them to take any actions. You must be grabbing somebody to weapons, bows, or thrown weapons with your bare hands. When
enter a grapple stance, and you can only stay in this stance while you use such a deflection, you gain a bonus to your evade of +3,
grabbing that person (thus, if they resist, you are knocked out plus an additional +1 per 8 skill points you have in Brawl (for +4
of stance). Anything that would let them break free of the grab at 8 skill points, +5 at 16 skill points, and +6 at 24 skill points).
will automatically knock you out of this stance. When you switch HP
your grab to a grapple, you are no longer grabbing a single loca- Acc
tion - instead, you are now grappling their entire body. (For the +1 +10
Stk
purposes of other specialties, however, it still counts as a grab.) Monkey Wrestler +1
A person who is grappled by you cannot move, just like
being grabbed. If they try to take any action, they suffer penalties Brawl Specialty
on every roll they make. Any time a grappled opponent rolls their Requires: 5 skill points in Brawl
die (except for random rolls), roll your Brawl, tier the results, and You wrap your legs around their torso, sink your teeth into their
give them the corresponding penalty to their roll. arm, grab their face, wrap your elbow around their eyes, and you
-3 on the roll still have a spare hand to use your dagger. For every 5 points you
have in Brawl, you may grab an additional location on a person.
-6 on the roll Normally you can only grab two locations (assuming you have
two hands). You may choose not to use your hands to initiate a
-9 on the roll grab if you have enough points to do so.
-12 on the roll HP
HP +10

Chapter 6
Stk Acc

Brute
+2 +9 +1 Eva
Pri Reversal +1
Heavy-Handed +2 Brawl Specialty
Brawl Specialty Cost: 2 AP reflexively
Cost: Unarmed Attack +1 AP The only person who’ll be doing the grabbing in this fight is you.
The blows from your unarmed attacks are so powerful that they If someone successfully grabs you, you can attempt to reverse the
feel like they’re coming from giant hammers. When you make a grab and capture your captor. Re-roll your resist for your oppo-
heavy-handed attack, roll your brawl before you deal damage but nent’s grab, but add your skill in Brawl to the roll. If you succeed,
after you’ve succeeded in your accuracy roll in order to increase they must roll a resist against your Brawl to avoid getting grabbed
the damage class that you deal. on a called-shot location of your choice.
+3 damage class Eva HP
+1 +10
+4 damage class Pri
+5 damage class Shrug Away +2
+6 damage class Brawl Specialty
Let’s just say that you don’t like being touched. If you are suc-
Acc HP cessfully grabbed, you may immediately make another resist (at
+1 +10 no action point cost) with your Brawl skill added to the attribute
Eva
Hold Steady +1
you’re using to resist.
Brawl Specialty Stk HP
+2 +11
You’ll grab the bloke while your friends beat the tar out of him. Pri
When you’re grabbing somebody, anybody who attacks that per- Throat Jab +2
son gains a hefty accuracy bonus. They get +3 on their accuracy
roll, +1 for every 4 skill points you have in Brawl (being a +4 at 4 Brawl Specialty
points, a +5 at 8 points, and so forth). Resist: Brute (negates)
Cost: Called Shot to the Neck reflexively
If anybody adjacent to you begins to speak, you can make a called
shot to their neck reflexively in order to shut them up. If they fail
on their resist, they cannot talk or use their voice (including using
specialties that rely on speaking, like Encouragement) until they
either spend 1 action point to clear their throat or they wait until
the end of their next turn.

91
 p Bone-Breaking Specialties M p Combo Specialties M
Stk HP Acc HP
+2 +11 +1 +10
Pri Stk
Bone-Breaker +1 Combo Flow +2
Brawl Specialty Brawl Specialty
Cost: Unarmed Called Shot +1 AP Requires: 4 skill points in Brawl
You smash a precision blow into the opponent, causing a called You rage like rapids, following the path of least resistance. Every
shot that’s nearly impossible to resist. Do your called shot nor- melee attack that you land during a turn grants you a +2 on ac-
mally. If they succeed in resisting, you are able to roll your strike curacy and strike rolls for the rest of your turn, and this bonus
again to make them re-resist. The bone-breaker only does dam- accumulates with every successful melee attack until the end of
age based on the original strike. your turn.
1 re-roll So, if you landed one melee attack, your next attack
would have a +2 on accuracy and strike. After your second suc-
2 re-rolls cessful attack, the third one would have a +4 on accuracy and
strike. This would continue to grow with every successful attack.
3 re-rolls
Acc HP
4 re-rolls +10
+1
HP Stk
Stk
+3 +9 Combo Opener +2
Pri
Crippling Blow +1
Brawl Specialty
Requires: Combo Flow specialty
Brawl Specialty Cost: Unarmed Attack +1 AP
Chapter 6

Requires: Bone-Breaker specialty, 8 skill points in Brawl

Brute

You may perform a combo opener in order to improve the po-

Cost: Bone-Breaking Attack, +1 AP per location tency of your combo flow. If you successfully land your combo
Your bone-breaking attack reverberates through the victim, crip- opener (which for most purposes just looks like a normal un-
pling much of their body. When you make your bone-breaking armed attack), it might count as having successfully landed mul-
attack, you may spend an extra action point in order to have the tiple attacks.
same bone-breaker effect against another called shot location.
You may affect as many called shot locations as you’d like - each Counts as two attacks (granting a +4 on accuracy and
one costs 1 additional action point. strike for the next attack).
So, say you make a bone-breaker attack against a per- Counts as three attacks (granting a +6 on accuracy and
son’s neck. You get a tier 3 on your bone-breaker, so they have to strike for the next attack).
make (a ridiculous) 4 resists in order to not be effected. In addi- Counts as four attacks (granting a +8 on accuracy and
tion, you spend 2 extra action points to activate the called shot ef- strike for the next attack).
fects for the torso and the hand, which now also require 4 resists
to avoid. Counts as five attacks (granting a +10 on accuracy and
strike for the next attack).
Acc HP
+1 +9
Eva
Combo Breaker +1
Brawl Specialty
Any time an adjacent opponent successfully damages you with
two separate attacks in one turn, you may perform a combo
breaker - a free unarmed attack against your assailant that uses
your skill in brawl in place of your accuracy.
Stk HP
+3 +9
Pri
Finisher +1
Brawl Specialty
Requires: Heavy-Handed specialty
If you successfully make two unarmed attacks in one turn and
still have an additional action point, you can make a finisher. A
finisher is just like a heavy-handed attack, except that it does not
cost the extra action point to perform.

92
 Acc HP
+1 +10
p Grip Specialties M
Stk
Twist +2
Stk HP Brawl Specialty
+3 +10 Requires: Crushing Grip specialty
Pri Cost: 1 AP
Crushing Grip +1
Once you have a person grabbed with a hand, you may twist that
Brawl Specialty location to inflict pain. For 1 action point, you may automati-
Requires: +4 Strike cally deal damage as per an unarmed attack (without the need to
Your grabs are vicious, crushing the opponent. When you make roll accuracy and evade). You may also, for 1 action point, acti-
a grab, you also deal damage as if you were attacking with the vate the called shot that you have grabbed, rolling strike solely to
attack normally. determine the necessary resist but otherwise doing no damage.
Though this does deal damage, it does not act as an attack.

Chapter 6
Brute

93
 Frenzy is an emotionally-charged rage,
throwing yourself out there and giving Acc HP
people everything they don’t want. Frenzy’s +1 +11
Stk
not for the weak - you lose control easily Backlash +2
and take haphazard movements all over the Frenzy Specialty
battlefield. When you’ve broken your lim- Requires: 7 skill points in Frenzy
its, you are literally uncontrollable. Yet your Cost: 1 AP reflexively
opponents will never know this weakness. Large amounts of damage don’t stop you - rather, they enrage
They’ll be dead long before that.
Chapter 6

you! Any time you take 10 or more damage (after damage soak),
Brute

you can make a reflexive attack against your assailant using your
skill in frenzy in place of your accuracy. This reflexive attack only
Frenzy includes costs you 1 action point to make.
the following HP
specialties: Stk
+3 +11
HP Pri
Eva
+1 +14 Burning Revenge +1
Stk Frenzy Specialty
Adrenaline Surge +1
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Frenzy Specialty Your foe drives you to greater strength. If an opponent damages
The deaths of your opponents sends a reinvigorating rush you, you may “collect” that damage in order to add it as a bonus
through your body that pushes you to continue fighting. When- on your next strike roll against that opponent. When you are hit,
ever you deal a fatal effect or kill an opponent, you regain some you may spend 1 action point reflexively to savor the damage
of your hit points. (after damage soak). The next time you attack that opponent, you
gain the damage as a bonus on the strike roll.
Immediately regain 3 hit points
Acc HP
Immediately regain 6 hit points +10
+1
Immediately regain 9 hit points Stk
Immediately regain 12 hit points
Carry Through +2
Frenzy Specialty
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP per adjacent opponent
You carry your blow through one opponent and into another.
Once you’ve successfully attacked one opponent within your me-
lee reach, you may continue the attack, cleaving through more
opponents within your reach. For every additional opponent you
choose, you must spend 1 more action point. You may not select
the same opponent twice. You must still roll accuracy to deter-
mine if you hit, but you deal the same amount of damage that
you dealt with the first attack.
If you were using any other modifying specialties (that
would make it an “Attack +1 AP”), they only apply to the first
target.

94
 Stk HP Eva HP
+3 +10 +2 +10
Pri Stk
Crimson Weapon +1 Liberator +2
Frenzy Specialty Frenzy Specialty
Resist: Brute (tiers down) Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP You don’t like being touched, held, grabbed, or grappled. When-
You learn to make your weapon strike slice deep into the flesh ever you are grabbed, you can make a melee attack called shot
of your foes. If an opponent takes damage from your crimson against the person grabbing you in whatever way is going to get
weapon, they will begin bleeding at the start of their next turn them off (often by making a called shot against their hand, but
(and ever turn thereafter). Bleeding damage is unsoakable, but you can also make a called shot against their torso to push them
the opponent can roll their Brute to lower the tier result. A person away, or a called shot against whatever else they’re using to grab
can stop 10 points worth of bleeding by spending 1 action point you). You can do this reflexively when they first grab you, and,
patching the wound. if you fail, you can continue to make these melee called shots
against your assailant for just 1 action point until they let go.
Bleed for 2 damage per turn HP
Acc
Bleed for 4 damage per turn +1 +8
Stk
Bleed for 6 damage per turn Merciless +2
Bleed for 8 damage per turn Frenzy Specialty
Eva HP Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
+1 +10 Once you go down this path, there’s no going back. Once you
Stk
Fray Fighter +2
enter your merciless stance, you cannot voluntarily exit it. Upon
entering, you choose a target of the stance. As long as you are
Frenzy Specialty aware of the target or believe the target to be within a couple
Cost: 3 AP hundred feet, you cannot exit your stance. While in this stance,
you can only attack your target and people who are directly pre-
An angry mob of slobbering beasts stare you down, looking to rip

Chapter 6
Brute
venting you from getting to your target. If you are not engaged
you apart piece by piece. For you, this is just another day at work. with your target, you must spend at least 1 action point every turn
Using a heavy or smaller melee weapon, you can engage the fray. moving toward your target.
Roll your tier to determine how many opponents adjacent to you
that you hit. They are allowed to roll defense against the attacks. While this stance is active, once per turn you may use
your skill in frenzy as a bonus to any one of your combat rolls,
Tier 1 damage to 2 adjacent opponents or divide it among several. For example, you may add your skill
in frenzy to one strike roll, or you may give half of your skill in
Tier 1 damage to 3 adjacent opponents frenzy to one accuracy roll and the other half to one evade roll.
Tier 1 damage to 4 adjacent opponents These combat rolls must be made in opposition of the target of
your merciless stance.
Tier 1 damage to all adjacent opponents
Stk HP
Acc HP +11
+10 +2
+1 Spd
Hundred Strikes Stk
+2
Neverending Bloodbath +5
Frenzy Specialty
Frenzy Specialty
For every enemy you kill during your turn, you gain 1 action point
Cost: All of the AP you can spend in a single turn that can only be used for running toward another enemy.
When you choose to use your hundred strikes ability, you must HP
still have your maximum amount of action points for the turn Stk
and be wielding a heavy or smaller melee weapon. You designate +2 +10
Spd
a single adjacent opponent as the target of your hundred strikes.
For one action point apiece, you can make a melee attack against
No Escape +5
that opponent. After every attack, you and the target move a sin- Frenzy Specialty
gle space. The target chooses which space he will move into, and Cost: As Moving, reflexively
you must either follow or forego the rest of your turn.
Though your enemies may attempt to retreat, you’re prepared to
give chase. Any time a foe that you’re engaged with attempts to
move away from you using their land speed, you reflexively follow
them. If an opponent’s speed is greater than yours (but within 20
feet), you rise to the challenge and match their speed.

95
 Stk HP
+2 +9
p Bloodlust Specialties M
Pri
Raging +2
Frenzy Specialty Acc HP
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) +1 +12
Nothing can stop you. You will destroy everything in your path. Stk
When you make an attack while raging, you pull your bonuses Berserker +2
from your accuracy, evade, and defense in order to add them to Frenzy Specialty
your strike roll. Add your accuracy, evade, and defense bonuses Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
together and apply that number as a bonus to your strike. While
in this stance, however, you do not gain any bonuses on your The sight of blood excites you. After successfully dealing damage
accuracy, evade, or defense rolls. If you leave this stance (either to an opponent, you a gain +1 damage class against that opponent
voluntarily or by being forced out of it), you do not gain your bo- with all melee weapons. This bonus increases by +1 for every 6
nuses to evade and defense back until the end of your next turn. skill points you have in frenzy. This bonus can be used against
multiple opponents.
Acc HP
+13 Acc HP
+1 +10
Stk +1
Straining Blow +2
Bloodlust Stk
+2
Frenzy Specialty
Cost: as a Melee Attack Frenzy Specialty
You push yourself to your maximum, destroying yourself in or- Requires: Berserker specialty & 6 skill points in Frenzy
der to lay waste to your opponents. When you make a straining Cost: 1 AP
blow, you may deal 5 unsoakable hit point damage to yourself in In the whirling chaos of battle you are a singular force of destruc-
order to add a +1 damage class to your attack. You may deal as tion - relentless and unstoppable. When you enter into berserker
much damage to yourself as you’d like in order to gain additional stance, you may spend an additional action point to upgrade your
damage classes, but you cannot deal more damage to yourself stance and start bloodlusting. While bloodlusting, your damage
Chapter 6
Brute

than you have hit points. Once you are out of hit points, you can- class with melee weapons increases by 1 for every enemy within
not deal straining blows. 25 feet of you.
Acc HP This bonus replaces the normal bonus you would get
+1 +9 from your berzerker stance. It is automatically added to all melee
Stk weapon attacks, regardless of whether you have attacked the foe
Soulless Blade +2 before or not.
Frenzy Specialty If you are knocked out of berserker stance, you must re-
enter the stance and spend the extra action point to begin blood-
Cost: 2 AP reflexively lusting again.
When you mean to finish an opponent, you do so mercilessly.
After you’ve made a melee attack that deals wounds damage to Acc HP
the target, you may spend 2 action points reflexively in order to +1 +11
Stk
convert it into a soulless blade. Now, instead of rolling on the
wounds chart, they roll for a fatal effect.
Unquenchable Thirst +3
HP Frenzy Specialty
Stk Requires: Berserker & Bloodlust specialties & 12 skill points in
+3 +10
Spd Frenzy
Walking Destruction +5 Cost: 1 AP
Frenzy Specialty Your unquenchable thirst for blood has become a full-fledged ob-
Requires: 15 skill points in Frenzy session. After you have entered your berserker stance and started
bloodlusting, you may spend another action point to upgrade to
Cost: Move + Melee Attack + 2 AP unquenchable thirst. Now, everybody within 25 feet of you acts as
You make a single move. During this move, you may attack any- an enemy (including allies) for the purpose of determining your
body that you become adjacent to. You may not target the same bloodlust bonus. You may now make normal melee attacks (with
person more than once. a heavy weapon or smaller) for just 1 action point, but if anybody
Other specialties cannot be applied to this attack. comes near you, enemy or ally, you are forced to make a reflexive
melee attack against them, if at all possible.
If you are knocked out of berserker stance, you must
re-enter the stance and spend the extra actions point to begin
bloodlusting and enter unquenchable thirst again.

96
 p Masochistic Specialties M
Stk HP
+2 +10
Pri
Laugh Like You’re Crazy +2
Frenzy Specialty
Resist: Spirit (negates)
Your a manic, psychotic, laughing vision of evil on the battlefield.
For every 10 points of hit point damage you’ve taken, choose one
opponent within 25 feet. That opponent is now suffering the ef-
fects of tier 1 fear. They may resist using their spirit against your
frenzy. If they resist, they cannot be affected again until after
their next breather.
Stk HP
+2 +11
Wnd
Marriage to Suffering +1
Frenzy Specialty
Requires: Laugh Like Your Crazy specialty
When fighting on the edge, you fight even harder. When out of
hit points, you gain a +1 damage class per point of wounds lost.
This damage bonus is lost if your hitpoints are no long zero.
Stk HP

Chapter 6
Brute
+2 +11
Wnd
Seize Your Suffering +2
Frenzy Specialty
Requires: 8 skill points in Frenzy, Laugh Like Your Crazy & Mar-
riage to Suffering specialties
Taking punishment has become your nourishment on the battle-
field. For every point of wounds damage you take, you gain an
immediate action point. The action point only lasts for the turn
the damage was taken. You may gain no more than 1 action point
from this in a single turn than 1 per 8 skill points you have in
Frenzy.
For example, if you take 3 wounds damage this turn,
you gain 3 action points in addition to your normal allotment of
action points for this turn.

97
 The ability to overpower an opponent is not one Acc HP
to be overlooked. Nothing can be scarier than a +1 +11
man whose blows can fell giants, strikes are so Stk
Dragging +2
powerful that they can send a man high into the
Overpower Specialty
air, or swings so atrocious that they can sever the
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
fabric that holds our reality together. Overpower
You pull your weapon behind you, letting your weapon take your
is all about hitting your opponent hard and mak- entire body weight upwards when you swing. Anytime that you
ing sure that they never forget who it was that deal 10 or more damage (after damage soak), the enemy loses
gave them that scar - the one on their shoulder, their stance.
Chapter 6
Brute

where their arm used to be. Acc HP

+1 +10
Overpower includes Stk
the following Follow-Through +2
specialties: Overpower Specialty
Stk HP Requires: 4 skill points in Overpower
+3 +10 While your first attack can leave an opponent realing, your second
Pri attack is a true display of your power. If you make two consec-
Brickbreaker +1 tutive and successful medium (or larger) melee attacks on your
Overpower Specialty turn against the same opponent, your second attack’s damage is
automatically one tier higher.
Cost: as a Melee Attack
Through sheer force you are able to break through cover and by- Acc HP
pass walls. Whenever an opponent is on the other side of cover, +1 +9
Stk
you may attempt to bypass it with your melee attack (they must
still be within range of your melee weapon, however). You can
Heavy Hitter +3
only break through cover that is as strong as brick. A reinforced Overpower Specialty
wall of iron could not be broken with brickbreaker, for instance. Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
The cover is not destroyed from the brickbreaker attack, but it is
damaged. Requires: 4 skill points in Overpower
Whenever in this stance and using a heavy (or larger) melee
Bypasses poor cover weapon, add an extra point to your damage class for every 4 skill
Bypasses light cover points you have in overpower.
Bypasses medium cover Acc HP
+1 +11
Bypasses heavy cover Stk
Keep Them Down +2
Overpower Specialty
Cost: Heavy (or larger) Melee Attack
When an opponent is next to you and prone, you have no problem
finishing them off. Whenever attacking a prone opponent with a
heavy weapon, your damage automatically tiers up one.

98
 Stk HP Acc HP
+3 +10 +1 +7
Def Stk
Monstrous Attacks +1 Shield Whack +3
Overpower Specialty Overpower Specialty
Cost: Super-Heavy Melee Attack +1 AP Cost: Melee Attack conversion
Other people think that super-heavy melee weapons have a dam- Most people use their shields for protection, keeping their shield
age class of 10. You’re not sure what that means, but you know in-between your weapon and their flesh. That’s an advantage that
you can kill those people in one hit! By spending an extra ac- you’ll use. Whenever an opponent attempts to use a shield to de-
tion point when you make an attack with a super-heavy melee flect one of your attacks, you may instantly convert the attack
weapon, you deal considerably more damage. Your damage class into a shield whack. Though you’ll deal no damage with the at-
increases by 2, plus an additional +1 per 6 skill points you have tack, you hit the victim’s shield so hard that it staggers them,
in overpower. causing them to lose their stance, and they are disoriented for
HP their next turn.
Stk
+3 +11 Stk HP
Pri +3 +11
No Quarter +1 Pri
Overpower Specialty
Solid Assault +1
Resist: Dexterity (negates, see below) Overpower Specialty
Cost: Heavy (or larger) Melee Attack +1 AP Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
You smash down, not targeting a single person, but their entire You ready your strike and bring it in smoothly to deal just the
area. The only escape is for the target to move. When you make right amount of damage. If you successfully hit with your solid
a no quarter attack, you are not attacking the person: you are at- assault, you deal damage as though it were one tier higher.
tacking a single space. Anybody in this space is either automati- Acc HP
cally hit or must spend 1 action point reflexively in order to try +1 +9
to jump out of the space. If they choose to dodge, they roll their Stk
dexterity. If their dexterity exceeds your accuracy, they can move Stunning Blow +2

Chapter 6
Brute
to 1 adjacent square. If it fails, you hit them.
Overpower Specialty
Note: If you are using any abilities that depend on the
opponent’s evade, treat their dexterity as evade. If the opponent Resist: Brute (tiers down)
chooses not to dodge the attack, assume their evade matches your Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
accuracy. With a well aimed strike, you stun your opponent. If the oppo-
Acc HP nent fails to resist against your overpower and your receive a tier
+1 +10 2 result or higher, the target is stunned. The target may roll their
Stk brute in order to resist. For every tier over Tier 1 that they receive,
One-Handing It +2 they lower the effect of Stunning Blow by one tier.
Overpower Specialty No effect
You may wield two-handed weapons in one hand. Reloading a Stunned for 1 AP
marksmanship weapon and using bows of any size still requires
an additional free hand. For all purposes beyond how many hands Stunned for 2 AP
the weapon requires, this specialty changes nothing. Stunned for 3 AP
Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +11 +1 +8
Stk
Robust Toss +2 Titanic Strength Stk
+3
Overpower Specialty Overpower Specialty
Cost: Medium (or larger) Thrown Attack Requires: 3 skill points in Overpower
Just because your opponent is out of reach doesn’t mean you You lift the heaviest of weapons and swing them around as
can’t smash their face in. Whenever you use a medium or larger though they were tiny fencing blades. You do not need to enter
thrown weapon, you may deal extra damage with the attack. If it into a footing stance when you use super-heavy melee weapons.
lands, roll your overpower to determine its extra damage.
2 additional damage
4 additional damage
6 additional damage
8 additional damage

99
 p Armor-Breaking Specialties M
Stk HP HP
+10 Acc
+3 +1 +10
Pri
With Gusto +1 Chipping Away Stk
+2
Overpower Specialty Overpower Specialty
Requires: +13 to Strike Resist: Dexterity (tiers down)
Resist: Brute (negates) Cost: Heavy (or larger) Melee Attack +1 AP
When you attack with gusto, your attack is so powerful that no Your attacks wear on the opponent’s armor, slowly chipping it
armor can stand against it. If your melee attack deals tier 4 dam- away until it falls apart. When you make a chipping away attack,
age (or greater), you negate all of your opponent’s damage soak you lower the soak class on the target’s armor by 1. The penalty
from their armor unless they can make their resist against your can never send their soak class below zero, but chipping away
overpower. does stack over time. If the armor’s soak class reaches 0, the ar-
mor is effectively destroyed (and any augments on it or bonuses
that the target receives for wearing armor are negated). The op-
ponent can negate the chipping away by making a dexterity roll
opposed by your overpower roll.
Note: Somebody with broken or damaged armor can
patch it back together during a breather.
Acc HP
+1 +9
Stk
Armor Sunder +2
Chapter 6

Overpower Specialty
Brute

Requires: Chipping Away specialty

Resist: Dexterity (tiers down)
Cost: Heavy (or larger) Melee Attack +1 AP
The biggest obstacle between your sword and their heart is their
armor, and you’re not beyond destroying that too. An armor sun-
dering attack lowers the soak class on their armor. The penalty
can never send their soak class below zero, but multiple armor
sundering attacks can stack. If the armor’s soak class reaches 0,
the armor is effectively destroyed (and any augments on it or bo-
nuses that the target receives for wearing armor are negated).
-2 soak class
-3 soak class
-4 soak class
-5 soak class
Note: Somebody with broken or damaged armor can patch it
back together during a breather.

100
 p Earth-Shattering Specialties M p Push Away Specialties M
Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +11 +1 +9
Stk Stk
Earthquaking Strike +2 Staggering Strike +2
Overpower Specialty Overpower Specialty
Resist: Cunning (negates) Resist: Brute (tiers down)
Cost: As a Heavy (or larger) Melee Attack Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
Rather than attacking the target, you attack the ground in front Throwing yourself completely into the attack, you toss your op-
of the target, destroying the ground and destabilizing everyone ponent into the air like a rag doll. You knock them back several
around unless they can make the a cunning resist against your feet and potentially prone. The target may roll their brute in order
overpower skill. to resist.
The person standing in the area attacked is disoriented 5 feet
for one turn 10 feet
Everyone within 5 feet of the area attacked is disoriented 10 feet and prone
for one turn
Everyone within 5 feet of the area attacked is disoriented 15 feet and prone
for two turns Stk HP
Everyone within 10 feet of the area attacked is disori- +2 +11
Spd
ented for three turns Bullrush +5
Stk HP Overpower Specialty
+3 +11

Chapter 6
Brute
Pri Requires: Staggering Strike specialty
Rampant Destruction +1 Cost: Move + Melee Attack
Overpower Specialty When you charge at an opponent, you can throw them backwards.
Requires: Earthquaking Strike specialty If you run toward an opponent in a straight line (for a minimum
of 15 feet) and then make a melee attack, your melee attack is
Cost: Earthquaking Strike +1 AP automatically a staggering strike.
With just a bit more effort, you can turn your earthquaking strike If you so choose, you may also move with the target
into rampant destruction. The effect of your rampant destruc- (staying adjacent to them) for the distance that you send them
tion is exactly the same, except this doesn’t just cause the ground from the staggering strike. This extra movement has no cost.
around you to vibrate, it causes the ground to explode outward.
Roll only once for the earthquaking strike as for the rampant de-
struction.
In the area struck, the ground is destroyed one foot
down.
In the area effected, the ground is destroyed three feet
down.
In the area effected, the ground is destroyed ten feet
down.
In the area effected, the ground is destroyed twenty feet
down.
Note on Collapsing Structures: This is especially effective while
standing on a bridge, on the second floor of a building, or while
out on the streets with a sewer underneath. Remember, however,
that if you are in the area of the rampant destruction’s effect, you
too will fall down.

101
 Resilience is your ability to weather attacks, con- Acc HP
tinue on, and protect your allies. A character with +1 +15
resilience can use their great strength to keep Def
Brace for Impact +3
the good fight going and never stand down. Re-
Resilience Specialty
silience makes a character almost impossible to
Cost: as a Shield Deflection
take down, and so builds the perfect front-line
Instead of attempting to evade the attack, you brace for impact.
fighter and person that you want between the en- You may brace for impact at any time that you would normally
emy and the group’s travelling scientist. be able to deflect a blow. Bracing for impact converts your evade
bonus for deflecting into a defense bonus instead.
Chapter 6

Resilience includes
Brute

Eva HP
the following +1 +13
specialties: Def
Bulwark +2
Eva HP Resilience Specialty
+1 +14
Def Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Blast Proof +2 You ready yourself for any attack, becoming an untouchable bul-
Resilience Specialty wark. While in this stance, roll twice for your defense rolls and
take the higher result. You still add your defense bonus to the roll
Resist: Cunning (tiers down) of your choice.
Cost: Shield Deflection +1 AP reflexively HP
Def
In the face of explosives, blasts, and storms, you raise your shield +2 +13
and carry on, shielding yourself and your allies from the blast. Spd
Whenever you are in the midst of an explosion or similar effect Interposition +5
that has a blast area, you can negate the effect upon yourself and
potentially adjacent spaces unless the originator of the effect re- Resilience Specialty
sists against your skill in resilience. Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Negates effect in your space Cost: Move +1 AP reflexively
You are able to gauge an opponent’s intent to strike a friend, al-
Negates effect in your space & 1 space behind you lowing you to interpose yourself between them and one of your
Negates effect in your space & 2 spaces behind you allies. You must decide to interpose yourself before your ally rolls
their evade. For the cost of a move +1 action point, you may make
Negates effect in your space & 4 spaces behind you a single move to place yourself in front of the attack.
Def HP If the attack is a melee one, you must end your move
+3 +14 adjacent to both the ally being attacked and to the person making
Wnd the attack.
Body of Steel +1 If the attack is a ranged one, you must end your move
Resilience Specialty in-between your ally and the person making the attack.
You’re armored training allows you to push past called shots. Furthermore, the person making the attack is allowed to
When an opponent attempts a called shot on you, you may add resist against your resilience. If they successfully resist, the at-
your defense to the resist against the called shot. tack hits the intended target instead of you. If the resist fails, the
attack automatically hits you.

102
 Eva HP Def HP
+1 +15 +1 +13
Def Wnd
Metal Embrace +3 Resolute +1
Resilience Specialty Resilience Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Requires: 2 or more stances known from the Resilience skill
Any time you are struck in combat, you may, for 1 action point, You are the ultimate sentinel, transforming yourself into an im-
make a resilience roll, soaking an amount of additional damage pregnable barrier. When you enter into one of your stances from
as determined below. the resilience skill, you may simultaneously enter all of your
known resilience stances and keep all of them active (as long as
Soak 3 additional damage they don’t negate each other for any reason). They all act as one
Soak 6 additional damage stance, so if you get knocked out of your stance, you get knocked
out of all of your stances.
Soak 9 additional damage
Eva HP
Soak 12 additional damage +1 +14
Def
Eva
+1
HP
+17 Second Skin +2
Pri Resilience Specialty
Never Off-Guard +3 Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Resilience Specialty Attacks which ignore damage soak still have trouble with you.
You are always ready for an attack. Normally, your hit points Whenever you are subject to an attack that is going to ignore
go down after combat while you’re resting or socializing. Your your damage soak, you may spend 1 action point to convert it into
hit points are always, at least partially, ready to go. When not soakable damage.
in combat, you always have a number of hit points up equal to
twice your skill in Resilience, even when you’re not conscious. Of Up to 3 points of unsoakable damage made soakable.
course, you can’t have more hit points up than your maximum. Up to 6 points of unsoakable damage made soakable.
HP

Chapter 6
Stk Up to 9 points of unsoakable damage made soakable.

Brute
+2 +11
Def Up to 12 points of unsoakable damage made soakable.
Press +2 Eva HP
Resilience Specialty +1 +13
Def
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Solid Stances +3
Resist: Dexterity (negates)
You choose a target, and as long as you’re adjacent to that target, Resilience Specialty
you can completely block him from attacking anybody but you. You have great balance and you understand how to keep your
When you enter this stance, choose a target of the stance. To posture. As long as you’re conscious, you cannot be voluntari-
choose a different target, you must re-enter the stance. As long as ly knocked out of your stance(s) from being pushed back or
you are adjacent to the target, if the target tries to attack anybody, knocked prone.
they must succeed at the resist. If they fail, they do not attack Def HP
and, instead, lose 1 action point. +3 +11
Wnd
Eva
+1
HP
+14 Thick Skin +1
Def Resilience Specialty
Protector +3 Your body naturally soaks some damage. Your body has a natural
Resilience Specialty soak class of 1. Furthermore, for every 5 skill points you have in
Cost: as a Shield Deflection Resilience, you have an additional soak class of 1. So, if you have
You may protect those around you using your shield. Anytime an aof205. in Resilience, you have would a soak class (without armor)
This soak class stacks with armor.
adjacent ally would be the target of an attack, you may use your
shield to deflect the blow for them. The ally gains any bonuses Def HP
that you would gain for your deflection. +2 +19
Wnd
Tough Stuff +1
Resilience Specialty
You gain bonus hit points depending on your skill in Resilience
and how many specialties you have. For every specialty you have
(including this one), you gain 1 extra hit point. For every 8 skill
points you have in Resilience, that number increases by 1. Thus, if
you have 8 skill points in Resilience and 6 specialties, you would
have 12 extra hit points.

103
 Acc HP
+1 +12
p Armored Movement Specialties M
Def
Unassailable Mountain +3
Resilience Specialty Eva HP
Requires: you to be wearing heavy (or heavier) armor +1 +12
Def
Cost: 3 AP reflexively Armored Ease +3
For 3 action points, you may greatly increase your damage soak.
This can be decided after the damage has been announced. If the Resilience Specialty
attack was a special attack, any other effects from the attack still When you are wearing armor, you may consider it one degree
apply. This ability only works while in heavy (or heavier) armor. lighter at your discretion. Therefore, you can treat your medium
To determine how much your soak class increases, roll below: armor as light armor for determining penalties but still gain all of
the benefits of wearing medium armor.
+4 soak class
Def HP
+5 soak class +2 +14
Spd
+6 soak class Armored Freedom +5
+7 soak class Resilience Specialty
Def HP Requires: Armored Ease specialty & 7 skill points in Resilience
+2 +13 Now, while wearing armor, you may consider it two degrees light-
Wnd
Walking Fortress +1 er for determining penalties (in addition to the one degree gained
from Armored Ease). Thus, you could be wearing super-heavy
Resilience Specialty armor, but only have the penalties of light armor.
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Requires: 3 skill points in Resilience
While in the Walking Fortress stance, your defense sky-rockets.
Chapter 6

You gain a +1 to your defense for every 3 skill points you have in
Brute

resilience.
Stk HP
+2 +11
Def
Ward +2
Resilience Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
You won’t allow your foes to pass by you unscathed. When an
opponent moves into your melee range, you can make a reflex-
ive attack against them for 1 action point. If an opponent moves
from one space within melee range to another space within me-
lee range, this also leaves them open to your reflexive attacks. A
single opponent can only be the target of this specialty once per
turn.

104
 p Barrier Specialties M
Def HP
+3 +12
Pri
Living Barrier +1
Resilience Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Nothing bypasses you. When you enter your living barrier stance,
you strategically place yourself so that you take up three adjacent
spaces (as in, your normal space plus two more) and you may at-
tack anything adjacent to your new size.
Opponents attempting to move through your new space
must make a dexterity resist against your resilience. If the oppo-
nent fails, they may not enter your new space and their movement
is stopped.
Def HP
+2 +14
Wnd
Living Wall +1
Resilience Specialty
Requires: Living Barrier specialty
Resist: Dexterity (negates)

Chapter 6
Brute
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
While in living barrier stance, if an opponent attempts to attack
someone through you or inside your newly expanded space, you
may spend 1 reflexive action point to intercept this attack. In do-
ing so, you recieve no evade roll (acting as if the evade roll was a
1) and are hit with the attack. The opponent may roll a dexterity
resist against your resilience still in order to attempt to attack his
original target.
Def HP
+2 +15
Wnd
Living Stronghold +1
Resilience Specialty
Resist: Dexterity
Requires: Living Barrier & Living Wall specialties
Nothing bypasses you. While in living barrier stance, if an op-
ponent attempts to target somebody through you or inside your
expanded space and fails their dexterity resist against you, the
attack is negated. They lose all of the action points spent to make
the attack.

105
 Chapter 7

Cunning
The Cunning Attribute
includes these skills:
Espionage
Expertise
Showmanship
Tactical
Cunning
Chapter 7

106
Knowledge is power, and using it to your advantage can move worlds. At its most basic level, cunning is
the ability to process and retain information. As you grow, you can train yourself to be more keen, see into
things that other people would quickly disregard, and learn the skills to survive no matter where you go.
The attribute of cunning also increases you ability to see the whole picture and interact with others.

What can you do with your cunning attribute?

Gather Intel might lower the lockpicker’s result by 1 tier. The duke’s custom-
made and advanced locking mechanism might lower the lock-
Memory and research can be very valuable tools for finding in- picker’s tier by 3. If the lockpicking roll is brought below tier 1, it
formation. Intelligence can be found through talking to the right simply cannot be accomplished (unless mitigating factors might
people, reading, or simply having heard about it in the past. To allow it - and the narrator might even say, “It seems possible, but
determine if you know the information, roll your cunning and tier will require several hours of focus).
the result. The narrator will then tell you the appropriate amount
of information you know. A lock that lowers the result by 4 tiers should probably
not even exist, as the lock is virtually unpickable.
You know nothing more than common knowledge, such
as the name of a road or the king’s name.
You’ve heard some tidbits, a smidge of esoteric knowl-
Notice
edge, like the year an old temple was built or the nick- Notice is an immensely useful little trait, from noticing that the
name for the local baron’s favorite hunting dog. building is on fire to noticing that the king is wearing the wrong
ring. Notice comes in two categories: noticing people and notic-
You know rather obscure information, such as where the ing objects. If you are looking for a person, you would roll your
merchant lord of a large shipping company buys his ille- cunning against their cunning (if they’re hiding) or their dexter-
gal firearms from or how a famous doctor prevents people ity (if they’re sneaking). If you are attempting to notice an object,
from bleeding during his surgeries. you would roll your cunning and tier the result to see if you can
You know the rarest of information, from the coordinates notice it.
of the tree a bartender in the next town over shared his You can only notice readily visible items.

Cunning
first kiss under, to the secret meaning behind the king’s

Chapter 7
royal title. You notice items that are partially hidden.
Research and intelligence gathering can allow you to roll again, You notice items that are almost entirely hidden, or some-
and potentially with bonuses. If you’ve spent quite a bit of time thing else is betraying their whereabouts.
in a library, looking up the reasons behind the current plague,
you may roll again. In addition, the advanced medical section in You notice items that nobody else would, like a faint out-
the library may grant you a +3 on the roll. Likewise, if the local line under a curtain or that the airflow in the room is
librarian who you’ve been talking to also has some knowledge of slightly off.
the plague, that +3 might jump up to a +6 on the roll.

Lockpicking
Attempt Cost: 3 AP
The gunfire makes it hard to concentrate. Your friends have your
back, picking off the ravenous arachnid automatons while you
have your toolset in your hand, trying desperately to get through
this lock. There’s too many of them to fight off. If you can’t get
this done before the full swarm arrives, you’re all dead.
Trying to pick a lock costs 3 action points, just to get
into position and starts the process. After that, you’re going to roll
cunning. For any given lock, you may only roll once. The tier that
you receive will tell you how well you pick the lock.
Requires several minutes and is not something that can
be done during combat
Requires 9 more action points
Requires 3 more action points
You got it on the first try.
Difficulty of Locks: The basic door lock will rarely hamper a
person truly trying to open the lock. However, advanced locks
will decrease your tier result. For example, a solid, well-built lock
107
 Let’s face it: you just want to stab people Acc HP
+1 +7
when nobody’s looking. It may be due to Eva
personal, unresolved social problems. It Feign Fatal Wounds +2
could be an emotional dependency on other Espionage Specialty
people’s pain. Or maybe you just like deliv- Resist: Cunning (negates)
ering surprises. Regardless, you take people Cost: 1 AP reflexively
off-guard, play with them in a fight, and then When you’re struck in combat, you can overplay the success of
the attack, making your enemy think you’ve been taken out of the
trash them them like a rotting corpse in a battle or seriously injured. When damage is dealt to you, you may
trench. In fact, that’s exactly what they are. spend 1 action point reflexively in order to trick the opponent into
thinking that they have wounded, dealt you a fatal attack, or out-
Espionage includes right killed you. They may resist with a successful cunning roll
the following (opposed by your espionage roll). If they fail, you may choose to
Cunning
Chapter 7

what degree you appear to have been injured (or falling down and
specialties: feigning death entirely).
HP Do note that if you fall down as a result of feigning
Acc death or a serious wound, standing up costs an action point.
+1 +7
Stk HP
Destabilizing Strike +2
Acc
+1 +5
Espionage Specialty Pri
Cost: Attack +1 AP
First Strike +4
When your opponent is disoriented, you take advantage of their Espionage Specialty
weakened mind and can make a destabilizing strike. A destabi- You make it your business knowing that you’re in a fight before
lizing strike, if it deals damage, causes the opponent to become your enemies do. If you make the first strike of a combat - either
open to a reflexive attack from every character within melee range before priority is rolled or by being the first person to act in the
of the target. These reflexive attacks can be made either as un- combat - your attack gains a bonus on your accuracy roll equal to
armed attacks or by using super-heavy or smaller melee weap- your skill in espionage.
ons, which will only cost 1 action point to perform instead of the HP
normal 2. As the person who made the destabilizing strike, you Acc
+1 +6
cannot make a reflexive attack. Eva
Flowing Shadow +1
Espionage Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Espionage
You flow within the shadows, keeping your opponents guessing
as you weave and dart through the darkness. Any time the person
attacking you is blinded or in poor lighting, you can roll your
evade two times and take the higher result. In addition, you gain
a +1 on your evade rolls per 4 skill points you have in Espionage
while in darkness. If the opponent attacking you in unaffected by
darkness or relies on a way of finding you that is not based on
sight, you do not gain the evade bonus or the ability to roll twice
and take the higher result.

108
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +6 +1 +7
Stk Stk
Heartseeker +2 Invisible Blade +1
Espionage Specialty Espionage Specialty
Cost: Melee Attack with a Light Weapon +1 AP Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
When wielding a light weapon, you know the best way to get You fight with your weapons palmed, keeping your attacks so
through your enemy’s pesky armor. When you make a heartseek- tight that your blades are little more than an extension of your
ing attack, your opponent has more difficulty soaking it. For the fists. When using a weapon that is both light and concealable, you
purposes of this attack, lower your opponent’s soak class by 1 for fight as if unarmed: you cannot be disarmed or have your weapon
every tier that you receive with your espionage roll. This does not sundered, and your attacks only cost 1 action point to make. For
permanently affect the armor. all other purposes, your weapon still counts as a light weapon.
-1 soak class Eva HP
+1 +7
-2 soak class Pri
-3 soak class Master Lockpick +3
-4 soak class Espionage Specialty
Doors are of little bother to you; your skill in lockpicking turns
solid barriers into tiny inconveniences. This specialty improves
your ability to understand a lock and pick it. When you begin
picking a lock, roll for your Master Lockpick to further reduce the
action points that you’ll need in order to pick the lock. The AP
cost of the lock can never drop below marque I.
No luck. Your normal cunning will have to deal with the
lock.
You can kind of see it. The marque of the lock is reduced
by 1 for the purpose of this lockpicking.
It’s an average challenge. The marque of the lock is re-
duced by 2 for the purpose of this lockpicking.

Cunning
Aha! The marque of the lock is reduced by 3 for the pur-

Chapter 7
pose of this lockpicking.
Acc HP
+2 +7
Pri
Pierce the Darkness +1
Espionage Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Espionage
You launch your attack from the victim’s blindspot, ensuring your
success. When you are attacking from perfect darkness, poor
lighting, fog, or anything else that hampers vision, you gain a +1
on your accuracy roll for every 4 skill points you have in espio-
nage. If the opponent has some way of seeing through the poor
visibility you’re hiding in, you do not gain the bonus.

109
 Acc HP
+1 +6

p Cover User Specialties M

Eva
Silent Kill +2
Espionage Specialty Eva HP
Resist: Cunning (see below) +2 +5
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP Pri
When you attack somebody, you may attempt to make the attack
Cover Expert +1
absolutely silent. This is normally done when going for a killing Espionage Specialty
blow that the target is unaware of, in order to not get caught in Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
the act. You’re well practiced at taking advantage of whatever cover is
You may be stiffling their scream or trying to make your available. While you are in this stance, any cover that you take is
blade not chink against their armor. If the target does not try to treated as though it were one level greater. If you exceed heavy
make a noise, you simply roll your skill in espionage against any- cover, you cannot be targeted by a ranged attack.
body listening.
Acc HP
If, however, the target screams, yells out, or calls for help, +6
you must attempt to cover their mouth or stab them in the throat: +1
Eva
anything to keep the sound from carrying. If this happens, any-
body listening can attempt a cunning resist to hear the cry.
Contort +2
Espionage Specialty
Acc HP
+1 +7 Requires: Cover Expert specialty
Stk Cost: 1 AP
Sinister Strike +3 Small barriers can fully eclipse your body as you contort yourself
Espionage Specialty to fit behind them. While in your Cover Expert stance and behind
Requires: 18 skill points in Espionage cover, you may contort yourself so that the cover becomes com-
plete cover, and you cannot be targeted by ranged attacks while
Cost: Reflexive Melee Strike +3 AP behind it. You may leave your cover for no action point cost.
Your ally has created an opening, and it’s time to go in for the kill. Additionally, when you are in a hiding spot but some-
After an ally hits an adjacent opponent, you can reflexively make body is actively searching that spot, they do not automatically
a sinister strike. This attack deals damage directly to wounds. If find you. Instead, they must still roll their cunning to notice you.
it exhausts the target’s wounds, they suffer a fatal effect. If they fail the roll, they do not notice you, even though they were
Cunning
Chapter 7

searching your exact area.

p Nightwalker Specialties M
Acc HP p Critical Specialties M
+2 +6 Acc HP
Stk +5
Fighting Blind +1
+2
Stk
Espionage Specialty Critical Hits +1
You take no penalty for melee fighting while in poor lighting or Espionage Specialty
in absolute darkness. Light weapons, while normally less damaging than other weap-
If you do not know where your opponent is, this spe- ons, do seem to have a knack for finding soft spots in a target’s
cialty does not give you a way of locating them, and this Fighting defense. When you attack with a light weapon in melee, for ev-
Blind does not negate the ranged penalty for blindess. ery 5 points that your accuracy roll exceeds your target’s evade
HP roll, your attack’s damage class increases by 1. This extra damage
Acc class cannot exceed your skill in espionage.
+1 +6
Eva Thus, if your opponent rolled a 2 on their evade and you
Deep Blind Senses +1 rolled a 12, your attack’s damage class would be 2 higher than
normal.
Espionage Specialty
Acc HP
Requires: Fighting Blind specialty & 5 skill points in Espionage +5
+2
Your hearing, sense of the air vibration, or ability to locate your Stk
opponents in the deepest of darknesses allows you to fire accu- Hairsplitter +1
rately upon distant targets even when blind. You may use ranged
attacked against opponents at no penalty when blind or in poor Espionage Specialty
lighting up to 5 feet away per skill point you have in espionage. Requires: Critical Hits specialty & +6 Accuracy (from specialties)
Your precision and accuracy is not to be out done. When you
are making a melee attack with a light weapon, you gain an ad-
ditional damage class for every 3 points that your accuracy roll
exceeds your target’s evade roll. This bonus replaces your bonus
from your Critical Hits specialty. This extra damage class cannot
exceed your skill in espionage.

110
 Acc HP
+2 +6
p Disorienting Specialties M
Pri
Pinpoint Shot +1
Espionage Specialty HP
Acc
Requires: Either the Critical Hits or Heartseeker specialty +2 +7
You’re just as accurate from a range as you are when you’re stand- Pri
ing right next to your victim. You may use any specialty that calls Distracting Attack +1
for a melee attack with a light weapon when using a light ranged Espionage Specialty
weapon. Resist: Cunning (tiers down)

M
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
p Dirt in the Eyes Specialties Your attacks bewilder and confuse your opponent. You can make
HP a melee attack that, if successful, disorients the target (causing
Eva them to lose 1 action point per turn) for a handful of turns.
+2 +7
Pri 1 turn
Dirt in the Eyes +1
2 turns
Espionage Specialty
Cost: 2 AP 3 turns
Throwing dirt, blood, water, and other foul substances is an art 4 turns
that has been perfected by dirty fighters for centuries. It’s perfect HP
for catching people off-guard and momentarily blinding them. If Acc
+1 +8
you’d like to throw dirt in somebody’s eyes, they must be adjacent Stk
to you, and you must succeed at making an accuracy roll against
their evade roll. (For all intensive purposes, this is similar to a
Taking Advantage +2
called shot against the head.) If they have anything protecting Espionage Specialty
their eyes, such as goggles, the target gains a +3 on their evade Requires: Distracting Attack specialty
roll. If you’re successful, the opponent suffers a penalty to their When your opponent is disoriented, you know all the tricks for
next evade roll equal to your skill in espionage. taking advantage of their momentary weakness. When fighting
The target may, if he so chooses, spend 1 action point somebody who is disoriented, it does not cost you the extra action
to rub the subtance out before taking the penalty on his next point in order to make called shots against the person.

Cunning
Chapter 7
evade.
Acc HP
Acc HP +1 +9
+1 +6 Stk
Stk Brain-Blowing Attack +2
Blind & Swing +2 Espionage Specialty
Espionage Specialty Requires: 12 skill points in Espionage & Distracting Attack specialty
Requires: Dirt in the Eyes specialty Your distracting attacks land beautifully, leaving the target fully
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP disoriented for a considerably longer period of time. Whenever
You may combine your Dirt in the Eyes attack with a melee at- you make a distracting attack, you disorient them for twice as
tack, more efficiently catching your foes in their crucial moment long as usual.
of weakness. For the cost of a melee attack +1 action point, you
may throw dirt in your opponent’s eye and make a melee attack.
You resolve your Dirt in the Eyes attack first (which, if success-
ful, gives them a large penalty on their evade roll) and then your
attack second.

111
 Your intelligence stems beyond book smarts Eva HP
+1 +10
into the realm of practical use. Your keen ob- Def
servations coupled with raw brainpower and Concentrated Focus +3
experience have given you the skills you use Expertise Specialty
on a daily basis. You are a thinker, combining Requires: 3 skill points in Expertise
thought with action. Whether it be determining Your concentration is so intense that it is difficult to stun you.
the exact distance of an enemy force or doctor- When making a resist against being stunned, you may add your
ing the wounded, expertise gives you the know- expertise onto the resist. (If the resist is a cunning roll, add your
expertise in addition to the cunning total.)
how to do what needs to be done.
Eva HP
Expertise includes +1 +8
the following Pri
Deep Breath +3
Cunning

specialties:
Chapter 7

Expertise Specialty
Acc HP Cost: 1 AP
+1 +9 Requires: 5 skill points in Expertise
Eva
Appraisal +1 Taking one deep breath, you look around the battlefield, analyz-
ing your environment. As you exhale, time itself grinds to a halt.
Expertise specialty You receive 1 extra action point when your action points refresh.
You’ve got a keen eye for exactly how much something is worth. You may only perform this once per turn. (Simply put, this spe-
Though you can figure out the price of most items by looking cialty lets you spend 1 action point in order to gain an extra action
to the Trust, you’re skill lies in figuring out the price for ancient point on your next turn, exceeding your normal maximum pool.)
prized relics, valuable gemstones, and precious works of art. You HP
may only appraise an item once per downtime. Acc
+1 +8
You are able to determine the going market value of an Stk
item within 10%. Demoman +3
You are able to determine the market value of an item, Expertise Specialty
almost to the duke. Requires: 3 skill points in Expertise
Not only can you pinpoint the market value for an item, You don’t know how they work, but you sure know how to blow
you can deceipher any history or lore about it. them up! For every 3 skill points you have in expertise, you gain
a +1 damage class when attacking automatons and vehicles. This
You have a knack for knowing the exact price for an item, applies to anything you use that has a damage class, including
obscure information about it, and whether it contains any explosives.
ancient secrets or certain people are searching for it.

112
 Pri HP Eva HP
+3 +8 +1 +8
DIY Def
Efficiency Expert +3 Mechanic +2
Expertise Specialty Expertise Specialty
Requires: 3 skill points in Expertise Cost: 3 AP
When you or your friends are crafting items, you’re key to ensur- Though you may not be the original inventor, you have a knack
ing that no funds are wasted, that no screw is left behind. Not for seeing problems and figuring out how to fix them. You may
only does your DIY (do-it-yourself) score increase (based on the repair an adjacent automaton, vehicle, or any mechanical contrap-
bonuses granted by this specialty), you improve your allies’ DIY tion with wounds or hit points.
score. When you spend your downtime with your fellow adven-
turers working on equipment, their DIY score becomes 3 points repairs 6 wounds or hit points
higher. This bonus cannot increase their effective DIY score be- repairs 12 wounds or hit points
yond 12.
If you have multiple efficiency experts, the bonus do not repairs 18 wounds or hit points
stack. Instead, for every additional efficiency expert you have in repairs 24 wounds or hit points
your party, you gain an additional +1 DIY.
Def HP
Def HP +2 +11
+2 +12 Pri
Pri Patch the Bleeding +2
Fire Fighter +2 Expertise Specialty
Expertise specialty Cost: 1 AP
You must’ve had a pyromaniac as a friend growing up - you’re You’ve dealt with enough wounds to know how to make them
able to make battling back blazing infernos seem like child’s play. stop bleeding very quickly. You can spend 1 action point to stop
If you are putting out fires, you gain 2 extra action points per turn 10 bleeding damage (as opposed to the normal 5). In addition, if
for putting out fires. You cannot catch on fire when extinguishing somebody is bleeding out (such as from losing a limb), for every
a fire on another creature.

Cunning
1 action point you spend it counts as 3 action points for the pur-

Chapter 7
Acc HP poses of preventing bleeding out.
+1 +9 HP
Stk Eva
+10
Hurl +3 +1
Def
Expertise Specialty Observance +2
You can throw just about anything. Even if an item or weapon Expertise Specialty
is not classified as a throwing weapon, you may throw it as if it Resist: Cunning (negates)
were. You do not take penalties for impromptu weapons, and it
can go the distance it would go for its size categories (light: 25 Cost: 2 AP
feet; medium: 75 feet; and, heavy: 50 feet). You watch the enemy closely, learning his movements and pre-
dicting his actions. Once you have “observed” somebody (an act
Acc HP that takes 2 action points), the next attack they make on you is
+1 +10 converted into a normal attack unless they can make the resist
Stk
Improv Fighter +2
against your Expertise. If they had applied any specialties to the
attack or were making a called shot, all of these additions are ne-
Expertise Specialty gated. They still expend however many action points they would
Requires: 3 skill points in Expertise have, however.
You’re a master of picking up whatever is nearby and using it to For example, an opponent is about to deliver an attack
its most destructive potential. Barstool, glass, painting, or ladder, with a heavy weapon (2 AP), but they upgrade it to a solid strike
you’ve killed with them all. When using an impromptu weapon, (+1 AP) and called shot to the head (+1 AP). If they’ve been ob-
your penalties are eliminated. When fighting with such uncon- served, their solid attack to the head becomes a regular attack
ventional melee objects, you gain a +1 to accuracy for every 3 with their heavy weapon, but still costs the 4 action points they
points in expertise you have because opponents never expect you would have used. If the observed opponent made a normal at-
to be so talented with them. tack with their heavy weapon as their next attack, the observation
would be wasted.

113
 Acc HP
+1 +8

p Anti-Poison Specialties M
Eva
Weak Point +1
Expertise Specialty Acc HP
Cost: 2 AP +1 +11
After carefully studying your enemy, you are able to locate its Eva
weak point and exploit it. You may spend 2 action points studying Poison Finder +1
a single foe, attempting to locate a weakness. Expertise Specialty
You are able to detect any specific weaknesses to called Any time a poison comes within 10 feet of you, you may auto-
shots the enemy has. matically roll your cunning to perceive it (unless you are not con-
scious or otherwise have your senses dulled), and you add your
You are able to determine what called shots the oppo- skill in expertise to the roll.
nent would have the most trouble resisting or called shot
weaknesses it has. Def HP
+3 +10
You are able to determine any called shot weaknesses it Pri
has, which called shots it would have the most trouble Remove Poison +2
resisting, and, when striking a called shot weakness, the
effect of the called shot is doubled. Expertise Specialty
Cost: 2 AP
You are able to determine any called shot weaknesses it
has, which called shots it would have the most trouble You have a knack for drawing poison out of a victim. Any time
resisting, and when striking a called shot weakness, the that you or an adjacent ally has been poisoned, you may attempt
effect of the called shot is doubled. Furthermore, you are to remove it. If the poison has not activated yet, you can attempt
able to determine an immortal creature’s death trigger. to remove all effects. If it has activated, however, you can only
remove lingering effects. Thus, if the poison dealt damage upon
Acc HP activation, you would have to remove the poison prior to activa-
+1 +9 tion in order to prevent the damage from being dealt.
Eva
Trick Counter +1
When you remove poison, you are able to negate effects.
Once you attempt to remove the poison, you’re able to see what
Expertise Specialty effects the poison is going to have.
Resist: Cunning (negates) remove 1 effect
Cunning
Chapter 7

Cost: 1 (or more) AP reflexively

remove 2 effects
Your enemies think they are upgrading their attacks and coming
at you with unique tricks. You see through them. Whenever you remove 3 effects
are being attacked with a specialized attack or called shot (one remove 4 effects
that would have a cost of attack +1 AP, or attack +2 AP, et cetera),
you may spend an equal amount of action points to the upgrade Note : Poisons that have the same augment multiple times in or-
in order to attempt to negate it. The opponent could then resist der to increase the potency of that augment only count as one
with a cunning roll against your expertise. If they fail, their at- effect.
tack is converted to normal, though the opponent still spends the
same amount of action points.
For example, if you are being attacked by a solid strike p Combat Insights Specialties M
(attack +1 AP), you can spend 1 action point in order to attempt Eva HP
to make it a normal attack. If they have added multiple special- +1 +11
ties on to the attack, you can choose to negate just a portion of it, Pri
or negate all specialties, and the opponent resists against losing Combat Insight +2
each specialty separately. Expertise Specialty
While others are forced to rely on their brute strength or reflexes
to avoid called shots, you see them all coming and react accord-
ingly. You may use your cunning for all called shot resists instead
of the normal attribute.
Acc HP
+1 +10
Eva
Combat Analytics +1
Expertise Specialty
Requires: 11 skill points in Expertise & Combat Insight specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
You’ve been in combat enough times that nothing surprises you
any more. Gone are the days of relying on brute, dexterity, or
spirit. Whenever a resist is required of you during combat, you
may always use your cunning by spending 1 action point.
114
 p Item Appropriation Specialties M p Surgery Specialties M
Acc HP HP
+9 Pri
+1 +2 +10
Eva
Weapon Appropriations +1 Field Surgeon Def
+2
Expertise Specialty Expertise Specialty
Though you might not have an armsmith handy, your knack for Requires: 4 skill points in Expertise
bargaining and making contacts allows you to get some higher
quality weapons than normal. You may add a single weapon aug- Cost: 3 AP
ment on to your weapon of choice (be it firearm, crossbow, melee The field surgeon patches up major wounds to decrease their al-
weapon, throwing weapon, or bow). The augment must take up lied mortality rate throughout the battlefield. You are that sur-
a single slot. The augment begins at marque 1, but increases by geon. You can restore wounds damage, but once you make your
marque as though your expertise was determining its marque. attempt, you cannot restore any more wounds damage on a per-
(Thus, at 5 skill points in Expertise, you’ll have a marque II aug- son unless they take more damage to their wounds. Furthermore,
ment, 15 skill points will give you a marque III, and 25 skill points you cannot restore more wounds damage than they’ve taken from
a marque IV.) their most recent attack. Thus, if somebody cut your ally for 3
You may only have one such augment on a weapon that wounds damage, you could not heal 4 of their wounds.
you carry, though you may select a different augment during ev- The patient must spend 3 action points reflexively in
ery downtime that you have. (The downtime must occur in a loca- order to be treated. The patient can do this over multiple turns,
tion that has commerce and trade, otherwise you wouldn’t be able pulling action points from their next turn if need be. If you are
to procure the augment.) If the augment does not have a marque, engaged with a melee attacker, this leaves both you and the pa-
you cannot appropriate it until you reach the equivalent cost for tient open to reflexive attacks (which they can make for the nor-
the augment. mal cost of their attack).
Acc HP restores 1 wound
+1 +7
Stk restores 2 wounds
Quality Weapon +3 restores 3 wounds
Expertise Specialty restores 4 wounds

Cunning
Requires: Weapon Appropriations specialty

Chapter 7
Def HP
You’re quite good at getting hand-outs. Your appropriated weap- +2 +9
on gains an additional augment (of the same marque). Once you Spd
reach 10 skill points in Expertise, you gain a third augment on the First Aid +5
weapon. All augments must be on the same weapon.
Expertise Specialty
Requires: Field Surgeon specialty
Cost: Move + Field Surgeon reflexively
When somebody near you takes damage, you’re able to leap to
the rescue and help them out. When somebody has taken wounds
damage that is within one move’s distance of you, you may re-
flexively move to them and heal them using your Field Surgeon
specialties.
Pri HP
+3 +9
Wnd
Self-Surgery +1
Expertise Specialty
Requires: Field Surgeon specialty
Though its difficulty is beyond most people, you’re able to grit
through self-surgery. You may now use Field Surgeon on your-
self.

115
 You are a performer, the master of showman- Acc HP
ship, the troubadour of the world, the man +1 +9
who was born on a stage. You control people’s Eva
Captive Audience +1
emotions through your performances, stopping
Showmanship Specialty
people dead in their tracks with your bravado
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
and encouraging them to do impossible feats
Resist: Cunning (negates)
through your inspiration. The person with a
Once you’ve got someone close to you, you never let them go.
knack in showmanship is going to be useful no When entering this stance, choose a single adjacent target. You
matter where they go, and their allies will never cannot move away from the target, but you also prevent the target
regret having a performer around. from moving away from you unless they resist. They can attempt
to resist immediately when you enter the stance, and then at the
Showmanship includes end of their turn, when tier action points refresh. If they success-
the following fully resist, you exit your stance.
Cunning
Chapter 7

specialties: HP
Acc
+1 +8
HP Eva
Eva
+1 +8 Catchphrase +1
Pri
Blindside +3
Showmanship Specialty
Cost: 1 AP
Showmanship Specialty You reveal your hidden catchphrase and jump into your next ac-
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns tion. Saying your catchphrase requires 1 action point, but the next
Large hand gestures and loud noises keep your opponent focused time you roll a tier result for a specialty, you use your showman-
in a direction of your choosing, allowing you to make them blind ship skill in place of the skill the specialty normally requires.
to everything in the opposite direction. The target must be within HP
25 feet of you. The opponent acts blind and deaf toward any- Eva
+1 +8
thing from that direction until something attacks them from that Pri
direction, at which time your Blindside is cancelled and must be
restarted. You may have blindside activated on multiple people at
Chime In +3
once, but a single opponent can only be the target of one blind- Showmanship Specialty
side. Requires: 2 skill points in Showmanship
By adding in little snippets of information to help an argument,
you add a bonus to another player’s cunning roll whenever they
are attempting diplomacy, bluff, or any social interaction. The
bonus is a +1 for every 2 skill points you have in showmanship.

116
 Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +9 +1 +7
Pri Eva
Conveyor +2 Jester +1
Showmanship Specialty Showmanship Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Resist: Cunning (tiers down)
You can duplicate effects that you see, extending an ally’s buffing Cost: 2 AP
range. When an ally creates an effect that affects all allies within a You can throw your voice, yell, or dance to bewilder opponents.
certain range, you can spend 1 action point reflexively in order to On-looking opponents within 25 feet may become disoriented
also affect all allies within the same range of you. simply from laughing at you. Jester can affect multiple people,
Stk HP and all effected may attempt to resist. For every tier that they
+2 +10 receive above tier 1, they decrease the amount of turns they are
Def disoriented by 1.
Deafening Roar +2 1 target is disoriented for 1 turn
Showmanship Specialty
2 targets are disoriented for 2 turns
Resist: Brute (tiers down)
Cost: 1 AP 3 targets are disoriented for 3 turns
You choose one adjacent opponent and roar so loudly in his ear 4 targets are disoriented for 4 turns
that his eardrum bursts. The opponent is deafened (suffering a -2 HP
to evade) for a number of turns. Acc
+2 +6
Pri
1 turns Marionette Strings +2
2 turns Showmanship Specialty
3 turns Cost: 1 AP reflexively
4 turns You guide the attack of a nearby ally, ensuring their success. Any
HP time an ally makes an attack within 25 feet, you may use your

Cunning
Eva

Chapter 7
+7 marionette strings to give them a bonus on their accuracy. This
+1 can be decided even after the roll has been made.
Pri
Distract +3 +2 on their accuracy roll
Showmanship Specialty +4 on their accuracy roll
Resist: Cunning (negates)
+6 on their accuracy roll
Cost: 2 AP reflexively
Sometimes you’re right in front of them. Other times, they’re not +8 on their accuracy roll
so sure. You can distract an opponent during their turn, momen- Acc HP
tarily thinking that you’re somewhere else. Whenever an oppo- +1 +7
nent takes an action against you, you may attempt to distract Eva
them. Choose another location within 10 feet to create your dis- Praise +1
traction. If the opponent fails their cunning resist against your Showmanship Specialty
showmanship, they - for the purpose of this one action - believe
that you are in the location where you caused the distraction. If Cost: 1 AP reflexively
there is something else there (like a wall or a person), they gain You sing the praises of your fellow adventurers. You may spend
a +10 on the resist. 1 action point reflexively to allow a party member to re-roll any
resist, as long as they can hear you. You can only do this once
per resist.
Eva HP
+2 +6
Pri
Sleight of Hand +2
Showmanship Specialty
When you use an item, one second it’s there, the next it’s gone.
Your opponents won’t be able to take advantage of you while you
use items. Activating and using items does not leave you open to
reflexive attacks.

117
 p Choreographed Specialties M
Eva HP
+1 +7
Pri
Smoke & Mirrors +3 Eva HP
Showmanship Specialty +2 +6
Pri
Requires: 3 skill points in Showmanship Epic Dance +1
Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Showmanship Specialty
Cost: 3 AP reflexively
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
With the flick of your wrist, you can make an ally within 25 feet
appear in one location when they thought they were elsewhere. You bust out your best dance moves, chaining them together in a
When an ally has failed an evade roll, you may reflexively move beautifully unpredictable fashion. While dancing your epic dance,
your ally to an adjacent space. The assailant may resist against you gain a +3 to evade. You gain an additional point of evade for
your showmanship with their dexterity. If you succeed, your ally every 5 skill points you have in Showmanship. You can only have
may immediately move to an adjacent space, and the assailant’s one epic dance going at any given time.
attack automatically misses. If tripped, your Epic Dance is cancelled and must be
restarted.
Eva HP
+1 +8 Eva HP
Pri +1 +9
Throw Off Balance +2
Never Stop the Dance Def
+2
Showmanship Specialty
Resist: Cunning (tiers down) Showmanship Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Requires: Epic Dance specialty
Just as a melee attack hits one of your allies within 25 feet, you While performing your epic dance, you use your choreography
distract the opponent and cause them to do minimal damage. to block and brace your body against incoming blows. You gain
The attacker must roll their strike multiple times and take the an identical bonus to your defense in addition to the evade bonus
lowest roll, but they can use their cunning resist in order to lower you recieve from your epic dance.
Cunning

p Epic Music Specialties M

the result.
Chapter 7

The attacker rolls two times and takes the lowest

The attacker rolls three times and takes the lowest Acc HP
+1 +7
The attacker rolls four times and takes the lowest Eva
The attacker rolls five times and takes the lowest Battle Theme +1
Eva HP Showmanship Specialty
+1 +8 Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
Pri Don’t worry, you’ve got this. The epic music in the air says that
Unmarred Perfection +2 you can’t fail. While performing your battle theme, you gain a +3
Showmanship Specialty to accuracy rolls. You gain an additional point of accuracy for
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) every 5 skill points you have in showmanship. You can only be
singing one battle theme at any given time.
Resist: Cunning or Spirit (negates)
If you are singing, a successful called shot to your neck
Opponents regret attacking you, for fear of harming your perfect will cancel your battle theme. Alternatively, if you are using a
image. While in this stance, anybody that attempts to attack you musical instrument, a successful sunder or disarm will also cancel
in melee must resist or suffer a penalty to their accuracy equal to your battle theme.
your skill in showmanship. However, while in this stance, you can
make only graceful and non-alarming moves, and thus must roll
all strike rolls twice and take the lower result.

118
 HP
p Smokescreen Specialties M
Eva
+1 +8
Pri
Heavenly Serenade +2 Eva HP
Showmanship Specialty +1 +8
Pri
Requires: Battle Theme specialty Smokescreen +3
Resist: Spirit (negates)
Showmanship Specialty
Cost: 2 AP reflexively
Cost: 1 AP
Your battle theme is so beautiful that it digs deep into people’s
souls and prevents them from acting. While performing your bat- When you need to, you’ve always got a way to throw enemies
tle theme, any time anybody within 25 feet wants to make an ac- off for just a second or two. You may toss down a smokescreen
tion, you can reflexively spend 2 action points to make them roll during your turn that lasts until the end of your turn (when your
a resist against your showmanship in order to take that action. If action points refresh). This smokescreen only envelopes you, but
they fail the resist, they instead lose 1 action point. it hides all of your actions while in the smokescreen. If you move,
the smokescreen does not move with you and instead disperses.
Acc HP
+9 Eva HP
+1 +7
Eva +1
Spotlight +1 Walking Darkness Spd
+5
Showmanship Specialty
Showmanship Specialty
Requires: Battle Theme specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Requires: Smokescreen specialty
You point to an ally within 25 feet, signaling to them that it’s their
time to shine. While performing your Battle Theme, you may More than a simple disappearing act, you walk across the battle-
spend 1 action point reflexively to grant your Battle Theme accu- field shrouded by a magician’s smoke cloud. While in this stance,
racy bonus to an ally’s accuracy, evade, strike, or defense roll. you gain a +4 to evade and all of your actions are considered hid-
den. If an opponent has some way of knowing where you are that
HP does not rely on sight or can see through perfect darkness, you do

Cunning
Acc

Chapter 7
+1 +10 not gain the bonus to evade against them.
Stk
Unified Chorus +3
Showmanship Specialty
Requires: Battle Theme specialty & 16 skill points in Showmanship
Your beautiful song causes your allies to lend you their voices! Any
bonuses to accuracy or strike you gain from your Battle Theme
now apply to all allies within 25 feet of you. If multiple allies have
this specialty, everyone only recieves bonuses from the one with
the highest amount of skill points in showmanship.
Acc HP
+1 +9
Stk
Victory Theme +2
Showmanship Specialty
Requires: Battle Theme specialty
You begin to weave a power ballad which drives you forward; your
music crying for the utter destruction of your foes. Any bonus to
accuracy you recieve from your battle theme also acts as a bonus
to your strike.

119
 Tactical is the skill of battlefield commanders, Acc HP
+1 +8
great generals, and military leaders. As your Spd
party’s tactician, you’re going to keep people Blitzkreig +5
safe by making timely decisions to affect the Tactical Specialty
overall flow of the battlefield. The enemies are Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
your pawns, and you move everyone with equal You select the next foe and your allies attack. When you enter
ease. Tactical is about knowing your enemy, fo- into this stance, you select a single target within 50 feet. All of
cusing your best attacks, and using all of your your allies gain a speed bonus when moving toward that target.
The bonus is 10 feet, plus 5 feet for every 5 skill points you have
best advantages to drive your pike into their in tactical (thus being +15 feet at 5 skill points, +20 feet at 10 skill
disadvantages. points, et cetera).
Tactical includes Acc HP
+1 +7
Cunning

the following
Chapter 7

Eva
specialties: Call in a Favor +1
Acc HP
+9 Tactical Specialty
+1
Eva Requires: 4 skill points in Tactical
Ally of the Machine +1 When you’re cornered, you call in the guy with the sword to get
Tactical Specialty you out of your dangerous situation. You can give an ally 3 of
Requires: 6 skill points in Automata your action points in order for the ally to run over and attack an
opponent adjacent to you. The ally must be willing to make the
Using your keen sense of machinery and the way automatons move and the attack. They may only use these action points for
function, you can now treat automatons as your allies. When us- moving toward the designated opponent and attacking, though
ing a specialty that allows you to affect your allies, automatons they may use the action points to upgrade the attack as they see
may now act as allies. fit. In addition, if the ally has any action points of their own, they
HP may choose to use them reflexively to continue attacking or bol-
Eva ster their attack on the opponent adjacent to you.
+2 +6
Pri HP
Armistice +1
Eva
+1 +7
Tactical Specialty Pri
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Change Formation +2
Resist: Cunning (negates) Tactical Specialty
Sometimes the best part of a battle is when you’re not fighting Cost: 2 AP
in it. When you enter your armistice stance, opponents who at- You call for an immediate change of formation. All of your allies
tack you are stunned for 1 action point unless they resist against within 50 feet are automatically allowed to change their stance,
your tactical. However, you must exit your armistice stance (for free of cost, at their discretion.
0 action points) before attacking, else you will be stunned for 2
action points.

120
 Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +6 +1 +6
Spd Pri
Change Places +5 Forewarned +4
Tactical Specialty Tactical Specialty
Cost: 1 AP Cost: 1 AP reflexively
You know where the forces that threaten your team members lie. When priority is called for at the beginning of a battle, you may
You can move your ally (as long as your ally is willing). give a +3 to an ally’s priority roll within 25 feet, plus an additional

Cunning
Chapter 7
+1 per 3 skill points you have in tactical. Doing so costs 1 action
Your ally moves 5 feet point reflexively (which comes from your first turn’s pool of ac-
Your ally moves 10 feet tion points).
Your ally moves 15 feet Acc HP
+1 +6
Your ally moves 20 feet Stk
Acc HP
Focused Support +2
+1 +7 T actical S pecialty
Stk
Crippling Formation +2
Requires: 7 skill points in Tactical
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
Tactical Specialty You can build a bond with another that pushes them to greatness.
Requires: 3 skill points in Tactical When you begin your focused support, you choose an ally within
When an ally makes a called shot within 25 feet of you, you make 25 feet. That ally gains 1 additional action point per turn for as
the shot more difficult to resist. The called shot’s strike roll is ef- long as you are within 25 feet and continue focusing your support.
fectively 1 point higher for every 3 skill points you have in tactical. If you want to change the beneficiary of your focused support,
This only changes the resist and does not increase the damage you must begin anew. You can only have one focused support ac-
or the effect. tive at any given time.
Acc HP
+1 +8
Stk
Crossfire +2
Tactical Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
When you enter this stance, choose a single location (a 5 foot
square). If anybody enters into that space, you and all of your
allies can make reflexive attacks against that person for only 1
action point.

121
 Spd HP
+5 +6

p Encouraging Specialties M
Pri
Lead the March +2
Tactical Specialty Eva HP
Cost: 1 AP +1 +6
When you lead the march, you give your allies within 25 feet a Spd
bonus to their speed. This bonus lasts until the end of your next Encouragement +5
turn (when your action points refresh). This bonus is granted to Tactical Specialty
you as well. Multiple bonuses from Lead the March do not stack. Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Speed increases by 10 feet You call out encouragement, urging your allies to a more assured
victory. For 1 action point reflexively, you may give an ally within
Speed increases by 20 feet 50 feet a bonus on any one of the following rolls: accuracy, evade,
Speed increases by 30 feet strike, or defense. This bonus must be determined before the roll
is made.
Speed increases by 40 feet
Acc HP +2
+1 +7 +4
Spd
Malleable Formation +5 +6
Tactical Specialty +8
Your allies can shift and move around the battlefield with ease, Eva HP
keeping your enemies guessing. All allies within 25 feet of you can +1 +8
make a 5 foot movement during their turn for 0 action points. Pri
Acc HP
Inspiring Words +2
Cunning

+1 +8 Tactical Specialty
Chapter 7

Pri Requires: 5 skill points in Tactical & Encouragement specialty

Master Tactician +3
Your words of encouragement invoke a deep drive within your
Tactical Specialty allies that brings about confidence, allowing them to continue
Requires: 15 skill points in Tactical battling. When using encouragement, all of your within 50 feet
You’re at your best when thinking on your feet. You receive 1 extra recover
tactical.
1 hit point plus 1 for every 10 skill points you have in
action point per turn which may be used only for reflexes. 
Eva HP
+1 +6
Pri
Stand-Off +2
Tactical Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Before anybody takes their first turn in a combat, right as priority
is about to be determined, you may call for a stand-off. This costs
1 action point, but puts the entire combat in a stand-off. Anybody
may voluntarily take the first action, but - if they do so - every roll
they make during their first turn suffers a penalty equal to your
skill in tactical.
If multiple people attempt to act first in a stand-off, they
roll priority between themselves. After the first person in a stand-
off acts, everyone determines priority normally and moves after
the stand-off breaker.

122
 p Flow of Battle Specialties M p Order Specialties M
Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +8 +1 +7
Eva Eva
Direct the Battle +1 Issue Orders +1
Tactical Specialty Tactical Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Cost: 3 AP
You set the course of battle, proclaiming the next victim of the You yell an order across the battlefield, and one of your allies an-
tide. When you enter this stance, you choose one enemy within 50 swers the call. The ally must be within 50 feet and be able to hear
feet to be the victim. While you are in this stance, you can allow you. Your order allows an ally to make a called shot using their
a single ally per turn to make a special attack or called shot that bonuses but without spending any of their action points.
costs “Attack +1 AP,” without spending the extra action point, so
long as it is directed at the target of the stance. Ally attempts the called shot
Acc HP Ally attempts the called shot with a +2 on the strike
+1 +7 Ally attempts the called shot with a +4 on the strike
Stk
Concentrated Barrage +2 Ally attempts the called shot with a +6 on the strike
Tactical Specialty Acc HP
Requires: Direct the Battle specialty +1 +8
Pri
When you enter into your direct the battle stance, you point at a
single target and exclaim, “Get that fool!” Every ally within 25 feet
Complex Orders +3
can make a special attack or called shot that costs “Attack +1 AP” Tactical Specialty

Cunning
against the target of your direct the battle stance without spend-

Chapter 7
Requires: Issue Orders specialty & 5 skill points in Tactical
ing that extra action point, though each ally only gets this benefit When giving an ally a called shot order, you may spend the cost
once per turn. of one of your ally’s attack-modifying specialties to allow that
Acc HP ally to use that attack modifier for free.
+1 +9 For instance, if your ally knows Solid Assault (under
Eva Overpower) you may spend an extra action point in addition to
Overwhelm +1 the Issue Orders cost in order to allow your ally to use their attack
Tactical Specialty modifier for free. This additional action point expenditure can
utilize the action point bonus fromDirect the Battle.
Requires: Direct the Battle specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Acc HP
+1 +8
Any time the target of your direct the battle stance takes damage Eva
from an ally, you may use 1 action point to encourage your ally’s
attack along.
Improved Orders +1
Tactical Specialty
Ally’s attack does an additional 3 damage Requires: Issue Orders specialty, Complex Orders specialty, & 8
Ally’s attack does an additional 6 damage skill points in Tactical
Ally’s attack does an additional 9 damage You are becoming more adept at giving orders to your allies, al-
lowing you 1 free action point per turn for use with the effects of
Ally’s attack does an additional 12 damage Complex Orders.

123
 Chapter 8

Dexterity
The Dexterity Attribute includes these skills:
Ace
Agility
Marksmanship
Swashbuckling
Dexterity
Chapter 8

124
Dexterity is a representation of your speed, coordination, and reflexes. With dexterity, you can wiggle into
tight areas and turn just the right screws without being entirely sure where your hands are. A person high
in dexterity is always going to catch the ball thrown at them, will have no problem walking across a tight
rope, and might even known how to pick a lock.

What can you do with your dexterity attribute?

Balance The listener is still paranoid and thinks somebody is in

Attempt Cost: Movement +1 AP your general vicinity.
Want to walk that tight rope or simply just cross that rickety cat- The listener believes that something rustled where you
walk over the lake of acid? You need to balance. Balancing comes are, but it was probably a mouse or some other innocent
in four flavors, and your tier roll depends on what obstacle you are thing..
able to cross. Your narrator will identify for you the difficulty of The listener failed to hear anything at all.
the balancing check before you make your attempt.
The listener has no inkling that anybody is there, and will
You can barely keep your balance. Taking an action other probably not bother listening for anybody anytime soon.
than moving or getting hit by something will cause you
to fall. Note to the Narrator:
You may wobble from time to time, but you hold your bal-
ance. However, if the battlefield conditions change or you c Noisiness c
perform any action other than moving, roll again.
Characters in heavy armor, carrying lots of coin, or walk-
You can confidently balance yourself. You won’t fall un- ing on broken twigs will have a much more difficult time
less the condition of what you are balancing on changes, not being heard. In such a case, the narrator may give them
in which case roll again. a penalty on their opposed roll, such as a -6 if they are in
You move as if you were on solid ground. Nothing can armor, or a -3 if they are walking on noisy terrain.
shake you from your position, save someone using an at-
tack on you that moves you any distance.
Pickpocket
Jumping Resist: Cunning (tiers down)

Dexterity
Attempt Cost: as a move (normally 1 AP) Attempt Cost: 2 AP

Chapter 8
Long Jump: Jumping is tiered, based on the difficulty of the jump. Someone in your party won’t share the map of the dungeon, or
You must get a moving start to jump your optimum distance. If you just saw a really flashy purse on someone’s belt. Roll your
you do not move at least 20 feet before the jump (as a separate dexterity to determine how stealthily you pickpocket the target.
action), you will jump half the distance. Any movement penalties The target resists with their cunning, tiering down your result. If
apply to the jump distance. your result is less than tier 1, you fail to pickpocket the item and
they are aware of your failure. You don’t have to know what items
10 feet forward they have concealed in order to attempt to steal something, but in
20 feet forward such a case the item you would receive is the Narrator’s choice.
You can only pickpocket items not currently equipped to your
30 feet forward target. In other words, you can’t steal the sword they are wielding
40 feet forward or the jetpack they’re wearing, but you can steal the sword out of
their sheath and the keys to their clanker from their pocket. You
Vertical Jump: You may attempt to jump vertically for 1 action can only steal one item at a time.
point as well. When you jump vertically, you can jump 1 foot up
for every 5 feet you’d be able to move forward. Your victim feels paranoid and may begin to check their
belongings for anything missing.
Catching a Ledge: If you just barely fail, your narrator might al-
low you to roll your dexterity to catch a ledge and pull yourself Your victim thinks someone must have bumped into
up. Normally, catching a ledge while jumping will require a tier 2 them.
or higher dexterity result. Your victim failed to realize anything had happened.
Your victim has no idea anything of theirs is missing and
Sneaking won’t bother to check anytime soon.
Attempt Cost: Move +1 AP
Moving silently will almost always be little more than an opposed
roll against a listener’s cunning. If you succeed in beating their
cunning, you may determine how well you move silently.

125
 You are the ace. Whether you’re seated in a Acc HP
world-class flying machine or mounted on +1 +9
Def
an overgrown weasel, you know how to guide Crash Maneuver +3
your ride and use it to its very best. You can Ace Specialty
do crazy flyer tricks, a barrel roll with a tank, Cost: 3 AP reflexively
and you’ll never be kicked off your horse pre- When you are driving an airborne vehicle that is crashing to the
maturely. ground, you can maintain your cool and attempt to prevent your-
self from getting hurt in the crash. When the vehicle hits the
Ace includes ground, you can wrest enough control of the vehicle to keep it on
the following a steady path. If you do so, everyone in the vehicle takes less fall-
specialties: ing damage. The amount depends on the tier of your roll.
-3 wounds damage
Acc HP -6 wounds damage
+1 +9
Eva -9 wounds damage
Backseat Driver +1 -12 wounds damage
Dexterity

Tactical Specialty
Chapter 8

Eva HP
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) +2 +7
While in the Backseat Driver stance, you utilize your ability as Pri
a pilot or rider to provide the person who is driving with useful Denial Maneuver +1
information, allowing them to react more quickly to situations. Ace Specialty
While you are in this stance, the pilot of a vehicle that you are
riding (or the rider of the animal you are on) gets a bonus action Cost: 2 AP reflexively
point per turn that can be used for maneuvering the vehicle or You twist the vehicle’s controls at the last minute, making it dif-
mount or using Ace specialties. ficult to target specific sections of your vehicle. When someone
makes your vehicle the target of their attack, you can spend 2 ac-
Acc HP tion points in order to add your Ace skill to the ship’s evade roll.
+1 +8
Eva Acc HP
Co-Pilot +3 +1 +8
Eva
Ace Specialty Driving with Knees +1
You make a remarkably handy co-pilot when the need arises. If
adjacent to a ship’s pilot, you may give them any number of your Ace Specialty
action points, reflexively, for the pilot to use while maneuvering, Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
accelerating, or slowing the vehicle. You are able to control your vehicle or animal mount using your
knees. If you are on an animal mount or driving a clanker, you
get one free movement per turn. It also requires no hands to pilot
your vehicle or animal mount.

126
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +7 +1 +7
Def Stk
Flying Fortress +3 Horseman’s Cut +3
Ace Specialty Ace Specialty
Requires: 2 skill points in Ace Cost: Mounted Melee Attack +1 AP
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns When attacking a non-mounted opponent atop your mount or
When piloting a vehicle, you are able to maneuver it so that in- vehicle, you are able to make a horsemen’s cut that deals extra
coming attacks won’t hit anything vital to its continued function- damage.
ing, ensuring the ultimate defense. Your vehicle gains +1 defense +1 damage class
for every 2 points you have in Ace.
HP +2 damage class
Eva
+1 +8 +3 damage class
Def
Hold Together +3 +4 damage class
Ace Specialty Acc HP
+1 +9
Requires: 7 skill points in Ace Stk
During its final moments, even if everything is falling apart Hostile Maneuvers +2
around you, you push your vehicle forward one last time. If a Ace Specialty
vehicle you’re piloting loses all of its wounds, you can still move
it normally for one more turn. Autos are forced to remain on their Requires: 5 skill points in Ace
previous speed setting during this final turn. Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
You move wrecklessly close to an opponent’s vehicle in an all out
siege. While using Hostile Maneuvers, your vehicle suffers -4 de-
fense; however, all attacks made by allies on your vehicle hit for 1
damage class higher for every 5 points you have in Ace.
Acc HP
+1 +8
Pri
Level Flying +3
Ace Specialty
While you’re at the helm, nobody on board takes accuracy penal-
ties for shooting from a fast moving vehicle.

Dexterity
Acc HP

Chapter 8
+2 +6
Pri
Quick-Mount +1
Ace Specialty
You can now mount or dismount any auto, clanker, or animal
mount for no action point cost during your turn, whether you in-
tend to pilot the vehicle or not. You can only make one such quick
mounting or dismounting per turn.
Acc HP
+1 +10
Eva
Vehicular Teamwork +1
Ace Specialty
Cost: 2 AP reflexively
When anything flies toward your vehicle, your gut instinct is to
move out of the way. When anyone on your piloted vehicle is the
target of an attack, you can attempt to move your entire vehicle
out of the way first. Before they roll evade, you may roll your
vehicle’s evade against the attack. The attacker only rolls accuracy
once. If either your vehicle or your passenger roll higher than the
accuracy of the attack, the attack misses.

127
 p Auto Piloting Specialties M p Clanker Piloting Specialties M
Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +9 +1 +9
Eva Eva
Strafe +1 Extension of Self +1
Ace Specialty Ace Specialty
You know how to quickly move your auto side-to-side. Once per The movements of your clanker are as smooth as the movements
turn, you can strafe for no action point cost. This does not change of your body. When piloting a clanker you can move it using any
the direction your auto is travelling in. specialty you have related to moving yourself. When doing so, use
your skill in Ace for the specialty instead of your skill in the skill
5 feet the specialty comes from. This does not allow you to move your
10 feet clanker in ways it can’t on its own, such as jumping or flying.
15 feet Eva HP
+1 +10
25 feet Def
Eva HP Piston-Spring +2
+1 +7 Ace Specialty
Def
Evasive Strafe +2
Cost: Jump
Whenever piloting a clanker, you have the ability to use its mo-
Ace Specialty mentum to propel it into the air. This allows you to jump your
Requires: Strafe specialty clanker just like a normal person jumps.
The quick movements of your auto allow you to shake off incom-
ing attacks. When you strafe, your vehicle gains a bonus to evade
until the beginning of your next turn. This bonus is taken away p Focused Flying Specialties M
if you stop piloting the vehicle. HP
Acc
+1 evade +1 +8
Def
Focused Flying
Dexterity

+2 evade +3
Chapter 8

+3 evade Ace Specialty

+4 evade Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
With both hands on the wheel and every ounce of your being put
into your piloting, your control of your vehicle greatly increases.
While in this stance, you cannot take any action other than con-
trolling your vehicle. You also must use two of your hands to hold
onto the controls of your vehicle. Clankers gain 5 feet of speed
for every point you have in Ace. Autos gain 10 feet of maximum
speed for every point you have in Ace.
Def HP
+3 +7
Pri
Fine-Tuned Flying +2
Ace Specialty
Requires: Focused Flying specialty & 2 skill points in Ace
You put your all into ensuring any attacks made on your vehicle
will not penetrate its armor. While in your Focused Flying stance,
your vehicle gains a +1 to defense for every 2 skill points you have
in Ace.

128
 Acc HP
+8
p Ramming Specialties M
+1
Eva
Fully Focused Flying +1
Ace Specialty Acc HP
Requires: Focused Flying specialty & 3 skill points in Ace +1 +7
Stk
By making the continued survival of your vehicle and its crew
your main priority, you make yourself more aware of incoming
Ram +3
attacks. While in your Focused Flying stance, your vehicle gains a Ace Specialty
+1 to evade for every 3 skill points you have in Ace. Cost: Move + 1 AP
You know how to ram your vehicle into things without damaging
p Mounted Cavalry Specialties M yourself. For an extra action point during a move, you can slam
the vehicle you’re piloting into a target. This has a damage class
Acc HP of 10. For autos, use your accuracy to tier damage. Clankers will
+1 +8 use your strike to tier damage. Ramming anything immediately
Pri ends your move, even if you miss.
Fearless Mount +3 Acc HP
Ace Specialty +1 +9
Def
Requires: 3 skill points in Ace
You let your mountable animal know you’re the one in charge.
Puncture +3
When riding an animal mount, the animal is immune to fear ef- Ace Specialty
fects. In addition, the animal will be willing to do anything you Cost: Ram +1 AP (typically the same as Move +2 AP)
ask of it (as long as it is capable). When you ram a target providing cover, you break it apart. Wheth-
Stk HP er attacking a solid wall or an armored vehicle, you can lower the
+2 +10 degree of cover your target provides while still dealing damage.
Def The cover is lowered in degree until someone repairs it during a
One with the Beast +2 period of downtime.
Ace Specialty -1 degree of cover
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) -2 degrees of cover

Dexterity
When mounted, you and your animal mount are perfectly in-sync.

Chapter 8
You may add its strike and defense bonuses to yours. In addition, -3 degrees of cover
your mount may not be directly attacked; you take all incoming -4 degrees of cover
attacks, be they aimed at you or your mount.

129
 Speed, movement, lightning-fast reflexes, Stk HP
and the quick wits to get out of dodge: these +2 +6
Spd
are the focuses of a character with agility. Charging Ram +5
Specialties from agility will get you an in- Agility Specialty
sane movement speed, free actions during Cost: Move + Melee Attack
combat, and numerous ways of clearing a When you rush toward an opponent, you mean to take them down
battlefield - either to get to your target, or with one swing. When you move toward an opponent, you gain a
bonus on your strike roll equal to +1 for every 5 feet you spend
to get far, far away from him. moving toward them. This movement must all be in a straight
line, can only come from a single move action, and must be your
Agility includes movement (it cannot be from a vehicle or mount).
the following HP
specialties: Pri
+2 +6
HP Spd
Eva
+1 +7 Free Movement +5
Pri
Battlefield Flow +2
Agility Specialty
Dexterity

Movement is becoming a way of life. Once per turn (and only

Chapter 8

Agility Specialty during your turn), you can make a single free movement. You
Cost: 0 AP must be in medium or lighter armor to do this.
You’re constantly ready to move to a more strategic (or just plain 10 feet
safer) location. You can move 5 feet for free at any point during
your turn, or you can do so at the end of any other person’s turn 20 feet
(when their action points refresh). You can only make one such 30 feet
5-foot movement per your turn (that is, between the refreshing
periods of your action points). 40 feet
Acc HP Eva HP
+1 +7 +2 +7
Spd Pri
Bounding Lunge +5 Groundfighting +2
Agility Specialty Agility Specialty
Cost: Move + Attack You’re an old hand at hugging the ground and attacking like an
You move and make a swipe at an opponent. By using your erupting geyser. You may switch from standing to prone and back
bounding lunge, you can begin a normal move, attack an oppo- again for no action point cost. You take no penalties for fighting
nent during the move, and then finish the same move. while prone. You take no penalties for fighting in tight areas.

130
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +7 +1 +8
Pri Spd
Instant Draw +3 Slipstreaming +5
Agility Specialty Agility Specialty
In your hand or not, it doesn’t matter. You can draw your weapon Cost: Move + 1 AP
and other items without using any action points and at any point Requires: 4 skill points in Agility
(even during another person’s turn). You draw items and weapons
so fast that you do not leave yourself open to reflexives. (Activat- Your incredible speed sets the pace for your allies. For an ad-
ing items still leaves you open to reflexives.) ditional action point while moving, you can designate your exact
path as a slipstream line. If any of your allies follow the path of
Acc HP your slipstream for at least 15 feet within the next turn (before the
+1 +6 next time your action points refresh), they can make that move
Eva at no cost.
Slow Falling +2 Note: If the ally would normally require multiple action
Agility Specialty points to move, they may use your slipstream to move for 1 less
Cost: 2 AP reflexively action point than they otherwise would.
When you fall, you are adept at finding ways to slow your decent. Acc HP
You may ignore however much falling distance as your tier result +1 +7
allows. You must be adjacent to something when you’re falling Pri
(such as a wall, or through a canopy of trees). You cannot slow Snake Bite +3
your fall in open air. In addition, you can make attacks against Agility Specialty
enemies along the line of decent or upon landing for no penalty. Cost: 1 AP
30 feet You lash out at an opponent like a coiled snake before following
60 feet through with the rest of your attack. You may use your first ac-
tion point of your turn to make a normal, unaltered melee attack
120 feet with a medium or smaller weapon. No specialties may alter this
200 feet attack.
HP Acc HP
Acc +1 +7
+1 +9

Dexterity
Eva
Eva Step Back

Chapter 8
Side-Swipe +1 +1
Agility Specialty Agility Specialty
Cost: As a melee attack reflexively Cost: 1 AP reflexively
When an opponent over-extends their attack, your dodge allows Just before you’re about to take a pounding, you skip back a cou-
you to take advantage of their failure. When you successfully ple feet and barely dodge the attack. After failing to evade, you
evade a melee attack, you can make a side-swipe with any one- may attempt to step back. Roll your agility. If your agility result is
handed melee weapon against your attacker. You can optionally a tier higher than the opponent’s damage tier, then you can ignore
move 5 feet around your opponent (staying adjacent to the at- the blow and move to any adjacent square that is not adjacent to
tacking opponent) at no additional action point cost. You gain the attacking opponent.
a bonus on your accuracy roll for every point that the attacker’s If the opponent rolls tier 4 damage, there is no way to
original accuracy roll missed you by. step back from it.
Pri HP
+4 +9
Spd
Terrain Mastery +5
Agility Specialty
You excel at crossing a wide variety of landscapes. You ignore
penalties for moving through rough terrain.

131
 Acc HP
+1 +8
p Phasing Specialties M
Spd
Wall Runner +5
Agility Specialty Eva HP
Requires: 6 skill points in Agility +1 +7
Spd
Cost: Move +1 AP Phase Step +5
Your feet move so quickly that you can bound up walls. When wall
running, if you end your turn (though not necessarily your move) Agility Specialty
on a vertical surface, you will slip and fall off of it. Resist: Cunning (negates)
Note: You may also use this specialty in conjuction with Cost: Move (normally 1 AP)
Free Movement for just 1 action point. When you move, you may instead phase step. When you phase
HP step, you move quickly and in a way hard to notice. In order to
Eva hit you while you move, an opponent must make a Cunning resist
+1 +7
Spd against your agility to even notice your movement.
Walk Over +5 Eva HP
Agility Specialty +1 +6
Spd
A row of enemies form little blockade against you. You can pass
through a space occupied by an enemy as though the enemy
Fleeting Shade +5
wasn’t even there. If for some reason this would allow the enemy Agility Specialty
to attack you, they are denied that privelage. You cannot end your Requires: Phase Step specialty
movement in their space - you must pass through. Cost: Move

p Explosion Dodging Specialties M

Face it, it’s a whole lot harder to hide yourself in broad daylight.
When phase-stepping from the open to a hiding place, you may
roll below to give yourself a bonus to your dexterity against op-
Eva HP ponents attempting to notice you so you can get hidden fast.
+1 +8
Spd +3 against enemies’ resists in attempt to see you.
Blast Dodger +5 +6 against enemies’ resists in attempt to see you.
Agility Specialty +9 against enemies’ resists in attempt to see you.
Dexterity

Perhaps it’s your nerves, perhaps you’ve been caught up in explo-

Chapter 8

sions too many times. Regardless, you’re always ready to get out +12 against enemies’ resists in attempt to see you.
of dodge. You may jump out of the way of a blast, once per turn, Eva HP
for 0 action points. +1 +6
HP Spd
Eva
+1 +9 Leave No Trace +5
Pri Agility Specialty
Soaring Dodge +3 Requires: Phase Step specialty
Agility Specialty Cost: Move (reflexively)
Requires: 5 skill points in Agility You constantly move through the shadows so that enemies will
Cost: 1 AP reflexively never be able to keep track of you or where you’ve been. You may
Large blast radiuses? It’s not anything you can’t get out of. While Phase Step reflexively when enemies attempt to find you in your
you are dodging a blast, you may spend an additional action point hiding place.
reflexively per 5 skill points you have in agility in order to make
extra moves and escape the blast radius.

132
 p Stance-Shifting Specialties M
Acc HP
+1 +7
Eva
Shifting +1
Agility Specialty
Requires: 2 stances known
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
You have learned how to switch between your stances using only
slight movements, keeping your enemy in the dark about your
next strike. When you are in one of your stances, you can shift to
another stance at any time, during anybody’s turn.
Acc HP
+1 +8
Eva
Freeform Shifting +1
Agility Specialty
Requires: 12 skill points in Agility, Shifting specialty, & 3 stances
known
Your feet are constantly moving, guaranteeing your opponent
never has a clue. You may now use Shifting at no action point
cost once per combat turn (between the times when your action
points refresh).

Dexterity
Chapter 8

133
 Whether you’re one for pulling out your pistol Acc HP
+1 +6
and getting off a warning shot at the start of Eva
combat, or you like to stand behind a pillar Cover Fire +2
with your bow and pick off enemies as your Marksmanship Specialty
warrior-friend distracts them, marksmanship Cost: as a Ranged Attack
is the right skill for you. Encompassing all as- While you don’t mind hitting the target, the real goal is to prevent
pects of ranged weaponry, your skill at a dis- the target from firing at your friend. When you provide cover fire,
you take a -6 on your accuracy rolls but also provoke the target
tance will make you a frightening foe. into attacking you (see Social Tells in the Chapter 1). You gain a
bonus on the cunning roll equal to your skill in marksmanship.
Marksmanship includes
the following Acc HP
specialties: +1 +7
Eva
Follow Up +1
Acc HP Marksmanship Specialty
+2 +5 When you figure out how to nail that bastard, it’s not hard to do
Eva
Aim
Dexterity

+1 it again. If you land a ranged attack on a target and they do not

Chapter 8

move from their space before you attack again, you gain a bonus
Marksmanship Specialty to accuracy and strike for you second attack. As long as the oppo-
Requires: 4 skill points in Marksmanship nent does not move, the bonus continues with every subsequent
attack. You do not gain the bonus multiple times; however, you
Cost: 1 AP may re-roll with every subsequent attack to gain a higher bonus,
Before you take your shot, you can spend some time lining up at your discretion.
your sights and aiming. You can spend any number of action
points preparing yourself, and, for every action point you spend +2 to accuracy and strike
aiming, you may roll on the chart in order to gain a bonus to your +4 to accuracy and strike
accuracy. You can start aiming one turn and then fire in a sub-
sequent turn, but if you are attacked after you start aiming (but +6 to accuracy and strike
before you fire), you lose any bonus you would’ve gained from +8 to accuracy and strike
aiming. You cannot gain any more accuracy to an attack than you
have skill in marksmanship.
+1 to the accuracy roll Acc HP
+1 +7
: +2 to the accuracy roll Eva
+3 to the accuracy roll
Head Popper +1
Marksmanship Specialty
+4 to the accuracy roll
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
When they stick their head out of cover, you pop them right
quick. When a foe leaves cover (to any degree), you can instantly
make a reflexive ranged attack against them for 1 action point. If
there is any dispute as to who gets to make the first attack, you
win (unless there are two people with Head Popper, in which case
it’ll be decided by a priority roll).

134
 Eva HP Acc HP
+2 +8 +1 +8
Pri Eva
Itchy Trigger Finger +3 Penetrating Shot +1
Marksmanship Specialty Marksmanship Specialty
Your friends might think you just randomly shot a bush, but you Cost: Ranged Attack +1 AP
know better. If you have even the inkling that there’s somebody You use your ranged weapon in such a way that their armor of-
sneaking around within your gun’s range and you’re not aware of fers little protection. For the purposes of this attack, lower your
them, you can try to shoot them. You take the normal penalties opponent’s soak class by 1 for every tier that you receive with your
for firing blindly, but they are still targeted. If there are multiple marksmanship roll. This does not permanently affect the armor.
people sneaking around, your shot will target the closest one.
If you miss, there is no reason the sneaking person will Ignores 1 soak class
be identified, and you’ll probably just assume that there is nobody Ignores 2 soak class
there.
Ignores 3 soak class
Acc HP Ignores 4 soak class
+2 +6
Pri HP
Knock-Off +2
Acc
+1 +7
Eva
Marksmanship Specialty
Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Point Blank +1
Cost: Ranged Attack +1 AP Marksmanship Specialty
You take aim at a mounted opponent and attempt to shoot them Cost: Ranged Attack +1 AP
off their mount or personal vehicle. Use your skill in marksman- When your opponent’s up close, you don’t lose your calm. You
ship in a roll-off against their dexterity. If you succeed, they are just shoot them. You can make a point blank attack when using
thrown off of their mount or personal vehicle. a ranged weapon against an adjacent opponent. You gain an im-
mediate accuracy bonus for making the point blank attack.
Acc HP
+1 +8 +3 accuracy
Pri +6 accuracy
Lockdown Gunner +3
+9 accuracy
Marksmanship Specialty
+12 accuracy

Dexterity
When the villain pulls out his doomsday device or the assassin

Chapter 8
draws a vial of poison, you’ll snipe it right out of their hands. You Acc HP
can reflexively attack from a range whenever anybody draws or +2 +7
activates an item. (And, as per normal, you can always make this a Pri
called shot to their hand in order to disarm them of the item.) Seeker +1
Acc HP Marksmanship Specialty
+2 +7 By focusing in on the opponent, you can ignore their cover bo-
Pri
Long Shot +1
nuses. Any time an opponent is being granted evade bonuses
from cover, you may ignore it up to your skill in marksmanship.
Marksmanship Specialty Thus, if they have light cover (granting them a +4 to evade) and
Cost: Ranged Attack +1 AP you have 3 points in marksmanship, they only receive a +1 to
evade.
You test the air and adjust accordingly, doubling the range that
your weapon is accurate to. (Shooting beyond that range takes Acc HP
accuracy penalties as is normal for your weapon.) +1 +6
Pri
Snap Reload +4
Marksmanship Specialty
You’ve been in enough gunfights that you’re quite proficient at
readying your firearms and crossbows. You can ready any firearm
or crossbow that you’re wielding for one less action point (to a
minimum of 0). If you are wielding two or more crossbows or
firearms, each one gains the reduction from snap reload.

135
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +7 +2 +7
Eva Pri
Sneaky Seconds +1 Warning Shot +1
Marksmanship Specialty Marksmanship Specialty
Requires: 4 action points per turn Cost: as a Ranged Attack
You let off two shots so fast that, though they might evade the You can take a shot designed to miss, but also designed to scare
first one, they’re going to run straight into the second. Sneaky the gods out of the target. When you take a warning shot, no at-
seconds activates immediately upon two consecutive ranged at- tack rolls are necessary - instead, you may roll your cunning to
tacks being made in the same turn. Regardless of whether the intimidate the person from afar (see Social Tells in Chapter 1).
first attack hits or not, the second ranged attack gains a bonus to You gain a bonus on the intimidation roll equal to your skill in
its accuracy equal to your skill in marksmanship for determining marksmanship.
if it hits (damage remains the same). HP
Acc
Note: If you can make a third attack in the turn, it does +2 +6
not gain the sneaky seconds bonus. That said, a fourth attack Eva
would! Wing Clipping +1
Acc HP Marksmanship Specialty
+1 +8 Resist: Brute (if the method of flight is physical) or Sciences (if
Def
Stable Shot +2 the method of flight is mechanical)
Cost: Ranged Attack +1 AP
Marksmanship Specialty You take aim at a foe flying under their own power and shoot
Requires: 3 points in Brute them out of the sky. Use your skill in marksmanship in a roll-off
You no longer need to be in footing stance to fire a super-heavy against their resist. If you meet or exceed their resist, you suc-
bow, crossbow, or firearm. You may do it from a standing, normal cessfully disable their ability to fly. They will be able to fly again
position. once they either successfully resist or they hit ground. They can
attempt to resist for free at the end of their turn (when their action
Acc HP points refresh) or by spending 1 action point at any time.
+1 +5
Eva Note: If the target has multiple ways of flying, wing clip-
Turret +1 ping will only disable one at a time.
Dexterity

p Archery Specialties M
Chapter 8

Marksmanship Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
You find the perfect spot on the battlefield. You sweep around the Acc HP
field, raise your rifle, and fire. Nothing’s going to get to you. +1 +7
While in this stance, you cannot move. You must be sta- Stk
tionary and on your feet (you cannot be mounted). If you move, Arching Shot +3
you fall out of your turret stance. For 2 action points reflexively, Marksmanship Specialty
you can make a ranged attack at anything that moves so much as
five feet toward you. Cost: Bow Attack +1 AP
If anybody comes into a space adjacent to you, you can You can now make an arching shot. An arching shot is one in
make ranged attacks against them for 1 action point during your which you launch your arrow higher into the air, planning for it to
turn and with a bonus to your damage class, if you hit. come down at just the right spot to strike your opponent. When
using an arching shot, your bow can shoot accurately another 25
+1 damage class feet per point you have in your marksmanship skill. To make this
+2 damage class attack, you cannot have a ceiling within 100 feet,
+3 damage class
+4 damage class

136
 Acc HP
+1 +7

p Bleeding Arrow Specialties M

Stk
Efficient Ranger +2
Marksmanship Specialty HP
Acc
Requires: 3 skill points in Marksmanship +1 +7
You nock your arrow, pull the string back, and release as though Stk
you’ve been doing it since you were a wee babe. You may now Flesh Biter +2
make attacks with heavy and super-heavy bows for 2 action points Marksmanship Specialty
instead of the normal 3. Cost: Bow Attack +1 AP
Acc HP You’ve got a knack for using arrows to make the target bleed out.
+1 +8 When making a flesh biter attack, the arrow causes the target to
Stk start bleeding out. They’ll continue to bleed until they spend 1 ac-
Flight of Arrows +3 tion point to stop the bleeding (which will stop up to 5 points of
Marksmanship Specialty bleeding). The damage will incur at the end of their turn (when
Cost: Bow Attack +1 AP their action points refresh).
You release a flight of arrows, having nocked multiple arrows all 2 point of bleeding
at once. Make your normal attack. If you hit, instead of doing 4 points of bleeding
damage with your strike, you act as if you hit them multiple times
with tier 1 damage. Each arrow may be soaked by the opponent’s 6 points of bleeding
defense. 8 points of bleeding
2 arrows that deal tier 1 damage Acc HP
3 arrows that deal tier 1 damage +1 +6
Stk
4 arrows that deal tier 1 damage Flesh Piercing +3
5 arrows that deal tier 1 damage Marksmanship Specialty
Note: A flight of arrows acts as multiple attacks for the purposes Requires: Flesh Biter specialty
of determining damage, but other abilities (such as other attack- Your flesh biting arrows sink in, dealing excrutiating damage ev-
modifying specialties or bow augments) only affect the target ery turn until removed. Bleeding done from a flesh biter is dif-
once if they’re applied to the flight of arrows. ficult to stop, and acts as though it is twice as much when at-
tempting to stop. (Thus, if the target has 4 points of bleeding on
them from a flesh biter, it counts as 8 points for the purposes of
stopping the bleeding.)

Dexterity
Chapter 8

137
 The swashbuckler specializes in fancy flour- Acc HP
+2 +6
ishes, graceful attacks, and absolutely domi- Stk
nating their opponent. Excelling in one-on- Counter-Stance +1
one opponents, a swashbuckler chooses their Swashbuckling Specialty
target and shuts them down. The swashbuck- Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
ling skill is designed for fast attacks that weave Cost: 1 AP reflexively
through an opponent’s defenses and sink in You may declare a counter-stance against one opponent. If at any
right through the ribcage. point you are attacked by the marked opponent, you can make
a reflexive attack for 1 action point against that opponent, even
before they finish their attack.
Swashbuckling includes
the following Acc HP
specialties: +1 +8
Pri
HP
Efficient Strike +3
Acc
+1 +7 Swashbuckling Specialty
Eva Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
Adaptable
Dexterity

+1
Chapter 8

Focusing on the weakest points of your opponent, you are able

Swashbuckling Specialty to home in on their vitals. When you use an efficient strike, you
Requires: 2 stances known may add the number by which your accuracy roll exceeded your
target’s evade roll as a bonus to your strike.
Your footwork is solid, your training and familiarity perfect, and
your stances have become second nature. You can always keep Eva HP
one stance active and you cannot be forcibly removed from that +2 +6
stance. When you enter a stance, you can designate it as your Spd
background stance. By designating one as your background Fight Anywhere +5
stance, you can have two stances going at the same time, one as Swashbuckling Specialty
your background stance and one as your normal stance.
Hanging off railing and fighting with your sword in your teeth?
If you have two stances active, they cannot be mutually No problem! You no longer take penalties for fighting on uneven
exclusive in any way. surfaces, awkward terrain, in an unusual position, with your sword
Acc HP in your teeth, or while hanging from a wall.
+1 +8 Acc HP
Stk
Circle Attack +2 +1
Stk
+8
Swashbuckling Specialty Hilt Bash +2
Cost: 1 AP reflexively (when melee attacking) Swashbuckling Specialty
When the opponent attempts to deflect your attack, you bring Cost: 0 AP reflexively
your blade around their protections and into their gut. When an When somebody attempts to keep you down, you bash them in
opponent attempts to deflect one of your melee attacks, you can the face. Any time an adjacent opponent attempts to negate an
spend 1 action point in order to circle around their deflection. attack you’re in the process of making, you may instantly make a
This negates their deflection bonus. melee attack against them with the weapon you’re attacking with
If the opponent can make multiple deflections against at no cost. (And no, the hilt bash can’t be negated.)
your attack, you may spend 1 action point per deflection to circle
around each one.
138
 Acc HP
+1 +8
Stk
Precise Attack +2
Swashbuckling Specialty
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP
A precise attack is one that has an improved chance of hitting.
You roll your accuracy multiple times and take the highest result
to determine if you hit. (If you roll a pure 12, continue rolling to
figure out what the final result is. The pure 12 and attached rolls
will only count as one roll.)
You roll two dice
You roll three dice
You roll four dice
You roll five dice
Acc HP
+1 +6
Eva
Saluted Opponent +1
Swashbuckling Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
When you enter into this stance, you select one opponent and you
salute him. You gain a bonus on your melee accuracy rolls against
that opponent equal to your skill in swashbuckling. When you are
in this stance, you take a -2 on evade rolls against all attacks from
people other than your saluted opponent.
To select a new opponent, you must renew your stance
for 1 action point
HP

Dexterity
Acc

Chapter 8
+1 +8
Eva
Sword and Board +1
Swashbuckling Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
You’re a wiz at fending off incoming attacks. While in this stance,
you can make one free deflection per turn.
Stk HP
+2 +8
Pri
Wild Slash +3
Acc HP Swashbuckling Specialty
+1 +6 Cost: as a Melee Attack
Pri
Opening +2 Instead of a normal melee attack, you can make a wild slash.
This is effectively the same as a melee attack, but you determine
Swashbuckling Specialty your accuracy differently. Instead, roll two dice and don’t add your
Cost: 1 AP reflexively accuracy. Add the results from the two dice, and that is your ac-
Your keen senses notice when somebody stumbles and leaves curacy roll.
themself open. If anybody within melee range of you gets a 1 If either die shows a 1, the entire roll is a 1. When using
or lower on their evade (when being attacked by another person), a wild slash, 12s do not explode (that is, you do not re-roll 12s and
you can immediately attack them for 1 action point, using the add the next number) unless both dice show 12s, in which case
evade that they rolled to determine if you hit them. you may roll both again and add the result to 24.

139
 p En-Garde Specialties M p Flickering Specialties M
Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +8 +1 +7
Eva Eva
En-Garde +1 Flickering +1
Swashbuckling Specialty Swashbuckling Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Cost: One-Handed Melee Attack +1 AP
You may only enter this stance when you are wielding a melee Sometimes the last thing the opponent ever sees is your hand
weapon in one hand and have the other hand empty, perhaps for going for your weapon. Your attacks are like a flicker, getting in
balance or perhaps for grabbing things coming your way. While in multiple strikes all at once. Make your normal accuracy roll. If
the en-garde stance, you can take no penalties on your accuracy you hit, instead of doing damage with your strike, you act as if
rolls with melee attacks, and you gain a +4 on all accuracy rolls you hit them multiple times with tier 1 damage. Unfortunately,
for reflexive attacks. If you switch weapons or are disarmed, you each “attack” may be soaked by the opponent’s defense.
exit this stance.
2 attacks that deal tier 1 damage
Acc HP
+1 +8 3 attacks that deal tier 1 damage
Stk 5 attacks that deal tier 1 damage
Find the Gap +2
7 attacks that deal tier 1 damage
Swashbuckling Specialty
Note: A flickering attack acts as multiple attacks for the purposes
Requires: En-Garde specialty & 8 skill points in Swashbuckling of determining damage, but other abilities (such as other attack-
Armor? Pah! That stuff stands no chance against your fine blade. modifying specialties or weapon augments) only affect the target
While in your En-Garde stance, any time you hit an opponent, once if they’re applied to the flickering attack.
their soak class is lowered by 1 point for every 8 skill points you
have in Swashbuckling for the purposes of the attack. Acc HP
+1 +7
Acc HP Pri
+2 +8 Torrent of Steel +2
Dexterity

Pri
Lightning Slash
Chapter 8

+2 Swashbuckling Specialty
Requires: Flickering specialty & 25 skill points in Swashbuckling
Swashbuckling Specialty
Cost: Flickering +2 AP
Requires: En-Garde specialty & 16 skill points in Swashbuckling
Small scrapes and scratches? No longer: your flickering attacks
Cost: 1 AP blend the opponent into bloodied pieces. Your flickering attacks
While in your en-garde stance, you can make lightning slashes each deal tier 2 damage.
for 1 action point apiece. A lightning slash is similar to a normal
melee attack, except that it costs 1 action point and you add your
skill in swashbuckling in place of your strike in order to deter-
mine your damage. A lightning slash must be using a one-handed
melee weapon and does not count as an attack. A lightning slash
cannot be used in conjunction with any other modifying specialty
that allows for “attack +1 AP,” as you are no longer making an at-
tack but a lightning slash.

140
 Acc HP
+1 +9
p Footwork Specialties M
Stk
Beat Parry +3
Pri HP Swashbuckling Specialty
+3 +8 Requires: Parry specialty
Spd
Footwork Training +5 Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Cost: Parry +1 AP
Swashbuckling Specialty
When you parry, you smash the opponent’s weapon so hard they
At the end of any turn during which you move, you receive a bo- have a difficult time keeping grasp of it. When you do a beat
nus to your accuracy and evade. Roll your swashbuckling at the parry, your parry also acts like a called shot to the hand primarily
end of any turn in which you move, and you gain a bonus to your holding the weapon attacking you.
accuracy and evade until the end of your next turn (when your
action points refresh). Acc HP
+1 +8
+1 Spd
+2 Distance Parry +5
+3 Swashbuckling Specialty
Requires: Parry specialty
+4
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Eva HP You don’t parry with your blade. Oh no, you parry by simply not
+1 +9 being in the place they’re attacking. You can parry by moving. It
Spd
Fancy Footwork +5
works exactly as a parry, except that you may also immediately
move.
Swashbuckling Specialty Because you’re moving, you cannot distance parry and
Requires: Footwork Training specialty then riposte.
You are no longer a trainee: your footwork is that of a master. Acc HP
From now on, when determing your footwork training bonus, use +1 +8
the fancy footwork chart. Stk
Experienced Parries +3

Dexterity
+3

Chapter 8
Swashbuckling Specialty
+4
Requires: Parry specialty & 9 skill points in Swashbuckling
+5 Cost: 1 (or more) AP
+6 You’re no longer restricted to parrying the tier 1 attacks - you can
push off the best of blows. You can attempt to parry any attack,
p Parry & Riposte Specialties M
but you must spend 1 action point per tier of the attack’s damage.
(Thus, if an attack is dealing tier 3 damage, you’ll need to use 3
action points in order to attempt the parry.)
Acc HP
+1 +9 Acc HP
Stk +8
Parry +2
+1
Stk
Swashbuckling Specialty
Riposte +2
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Swashbuckling Specialty
When you are hit in melee with an attack that deals tier 1 damage, Requires: Parry specialty
you have the option of parrying as a reflex. Roll accuracy and When you successfully parry an attack, you can then immedi-
add your skill in swashbuckling, and, if you score higher than the ately make a reflexive attack against the person you parried for
accuracy roll that hit you, you negate the blow. no additional action points cost. You may upgrade the riposte as
per a normal attack, but the upgrades cost action points as per
normal.

141
 Chapter 9

Spirit
The Spirit Attribute includes these skills:
Faith
Grace
Luck
Shamanism
Chapter 9
Spirit

142
Spirit breaks the limits within oneself. You use spirit when attempting to focus yourself, resisting ethereal
forces, or when praying for aid from deities. With spirit, you can push for the stars, keep on going no matter
what, and always believe in your path.

What can you do with your spirit attribute?

Concentration
You stay focused on your task. Whether it be staying conscious
after being drugged, refusing to let a silver-tongued charmer ma-
nipulate you, or focusing on an elusive target in a loud and crowd-
ed space, Concentration allows you to weed out what you don’t
need to be paying attention to and puts all your mind towards
achieving your goal.
You lose track of what you were doing.
You are able to shut out some of the extraneous noise.
You can see your objective, but you’re not fully able to
keep your eyes on them.
You have your target locked in your sights but your focus
could still be broken by external stimuli.
Everything else in the world fades away. All you see is
your objective and how to grasp it.
Narrator: Determining Distractions
If the player is in a grey room with no decorations and only
one other person, concentrating on them should be rather easy.
However, if the player finds themself in the middle of a crowd-
ed, noisy market and the target is wearing the uniform of a
town guard, keeping track of them will be a lot harder. Keep
this in mind when determining bonuses and penalties.

Heroics
Attempt Cost: Any resist +1 AP (reflexively)

Chapter 9
Spirit
Those who use spirit have little that they can do with it alone, but
a strong spirit can save a person in times of duress. Any time you
make a resist roll (or are making an attribute roll at a critical time,
as per your narrator’s discretion), you can attempt to do so hero-
ically. This requires an extra action point, but will give you either
a bonus or a penalty, depending on how well your spirit is rolled.
Once you’ve rolled your spirit, you can roll the other attribute nor-
mally - but now you get the following modifier on that roll:
-4
+2
+6
+12

143
 Faith is a powerful tool, and it’s one you can
utilize to make your foes wish they had half as
Stk HP
much faith as you. Regardless of where your +2 +9
faith comes from or toward what goals you put Def
it, your devotion to a cause manifests itself in Divine Guidance +2
your actions. A person of faith can reinvigo- Faith Specialty
rate allies, move through obstacles as though Cost: 2 AP reflexively
they don’t exist, and survive far longer than You close your eyes and guide your injured ally through faith
alone. You can eliminate all status penalties on a person for one
what the faithless think possible. turn by giving them divine guidance at the beginning of their
turn. Divine guidance negates penalties from wounds, status ef-
Faith includes fects, stuns, et cetera. (It does not negate fatal effects.) Any pen-
the following alties incurred during their turn begin when their action points
refresh, and all of their normal penalties return to them.
specialties:
Eva HP
Eva HP +1 +9
+8 Def
+1
Pri Flowing Vigor +2
Blind Faith +2 Faith Specialty
Faith Specialty Cost: 2 AP to begin and 1 AP to channel
Requires: 6 skill points in Faith You channel life back into an ally within 25 feet, replenishing
Chapter 9
Spirit

Cost: same as an Attack their hit points. When you begin Flowing Vigor, you spend 2 ac-
tion points and roll on the tier chart. Thereafter, you may heal that
You lash out without hesitation, believing that your next attack amount of hit points again for only 1 action point. You may con-
is going to land true. When making an unaltered attack (as in, tinue the channel through your turn and into consecutive turns,
no other specialties are applied to it, including those that do not but if you take any action other than channeling and moving,
use action points, such as Critical Hits in Espionage), you may Flowing Vigor is broken and must be begun anew.
use your skill in Faith in place of your accuracy bonus for the
accuracy roll. 2 hit points
Acc HP 4 hit points
+1 +8
Stk 6 hit points
Conviction +3 8 hit points
Faith Specialty
Resist: Spirit (negates)
Cost: Attack +1 AP
Any time you are attacking a corrupted creatures, such as those
who have risen from the dead, automatons, or horrible abomina-
tions, you can attack with conviction. If the target fails to resist,
all of their damage soak is negated.

144
 Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +8 +1 +7
Pri Eva
Grief & Hope +2 Moral Support +1
Faith Specialty Faith Specialty
Cost: 3 AP (1 AP sacrifices) Requires: a Spirit of 8
The healing power of grief and hope can be an awesome sight to Cost: 2 AP reflexively
behold. You can channel that energy to reinvigorate ailing allies. When a friend is in need, you can push them forward to greater
For three action points, you can call upon your allies within 25 feet feats of heroism. Any time you know of an ally within 25 feet be-
to give you their grief and hope in order to save another. When ing forced to use an attribute as a resist or in some momentary
you do this, you can roll your faith to heal 3 hit points per tier you peril (such as having to jump a chasm or wrestle free a powerful
reach. The target of the healing can be any ally within 25 feet. device from a crazed maniac), you may roll your heroics (found
Restores 3 hit points under the Spirit attribute) and give them the bonus. If you roll
poorly and receive a penalty as per your heroics result, that pen-
Restores 6 hit points alty is applied on your ally’s attribute roll, regardless of whether
they want it there or not.
Restores 9 hit points
Restores 12 hit points Acc HP
+1 +9
For each action point an ally gives you, the amount of hit points Def
the target heals increases by 2 per tier. Thus, if two people sac- Prayer +2
rifice an action point each for your channeled healing, the target
will heal 7 hit points per tier your faith roll receives. Faith Specialty
Each ally may only sacrifice 1 action point for any given Cost: 1 AP (1 AP sacrifices)
usage of Grief & Hope. With your allies on each side of you, you know you’re able to
push onward with only their prayers. When you begin the prayer,
Eva HP you roll on the chart, granting yourself temporary hit points. For
+1 +10 each action point an ally gives you, roll again on the chart. Each
Def
Healing Halo +2
ally may only sacrifice 1 action point for your prayer and must be
within 25 feet to do so. Prayer may not be used again until these
Faith Specialty temporary hit points are gone. If you were damaged at the time
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) the prayer begin, these hit points instead act as healing.
Everyone around you draws upon your divine energies. At the Gain 2 temporary hit point
end of every turn that you are in your healing halo stance, you
and your living allies within 25 feet regain a small amount of hit Gain 3 temporary hit points
points. You and your allies gain 1 hit point, plus 1 for every 5 skill Gain 4 temporary hit points
points you have in faith, at the end of every turn that you spent in
healing halo (when your action points refresh). Gain 5 temporary hit points
HP Eva HP

Chapter 9
Eva

Spirit
+1 +8 +1 +8
Def Pri
Infallible Faith +2 Purify +2
Faith Specialty Faith Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively (1 AP sacrifices) Cost: 2 AP
Your allies’ belief in you is infalliable, their faith ensuring that By laying your hands on yourself or an ally, your devotion al-
you never fail. You may use infallible faith whenever you must lows your target to ignore the penalties from an ongoing poison,
roll a resist. You immediately gain a +2 bonus on the resist. Every disease, parasite, called shot, wound, or other effect for a number
ally within 25 feet may also sacrifice a single action point to you, of turns equal to your skill in faith. The target can not be puri-
increasing the bonus by another +3 per sacrificing ally. fied again until the effects of the first purification wear off. If the
effect of the penalty would have naturally worn off during the
time the purification was occuring, it does not resume once the
purification ends.
Ignore 1 effect
Ignore up to 2 effects
Ignore up to 3 effects
Ignore all effects

145
 Eva HP
+1 +11

p Champion Specialties M
Def
Shock of Life +3
Faith Specialty HP
Eva
Requires: 10 skill points in Faith +1 +9
Cost: 2 AP Def
When times seem dire, you know how to shock somebody back
Appointed Champion +2
into existence. You instantly heal, through touch, a number of hit Faith Specialty
points equal to twice your skill in faith. This burst of energy, how- Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
ever, has some negative effects on the target. You roll your faith You mark a nearby ally as your champion and channel your faith
to determine how minor the negative effects are. A target may, at into him. While in this stance, any time said champion would
their discretion, ignore the Shock of Life altogether, though this need to make a spirit roll, he may choose to let you roll for him
must be decided prior to the faith roll. and apply your spirit attribute’s bonus.
Target is stunned for 3 AP Acc HP
Target is stunned for 2 AP +1 +8
Eva
Target is stunned for 1 AP Conduit of Faith +1
Target suffers no ill effect Faith Specialty

p AP Sacrifice Upgrade Specialties M

Requires: Appointed Champion specialty
You draw the breath from nearby allies and empower your cham-
pion. Anyone within 25 feet may sacrifice their last action point
Eva HP they have for the turn (at the end of their turn, when their action
+1 +10 points refresh) to your appointed champion. It must be their last
Def action point, and the action point is immediately added to the ap-
Devoted Peers +2 pointed champion’s pool of action points.
Faith Specialty
Requires: any specialty that calls upon sacrificial action points
Your friends are loyal and devoted like few others. When you call
p Inquisition Specialties M
upon them to sacrifice their action points for your specialties, Eva HP
they may sacrifice up to two action points each. +1 +8
Stk
Eva HP Proclaim the Heretic +2
+1 +8
Stk Faith Specialty
Self-Sacrifice +2 Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Faith Specialty Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Requires: 4 action points per turn & any specialty that calls upon You proclaim an enemy to be a heretic, an unfaithless vagabond,
sacrificial action points and now no one will lose their courage against him. Choose a
Chapter 9

single opponent when you enter this stance. When that heretic
Spirit

Your faith is so strong that it alone can guide your attacks. When attacks you or one of your allies, you or the ally can spend 1 ac-
you call upon others to sacrifice action points to your specialties, tion point in order to roll the spirit attribute instead of defense in
you may sacrifice your own action points as well. You, however, order to determine damage soaked.
are not limited, and may sacrifice as many action points as you
have available to you. To proclaim a different heretic, you will need to change
stance (costing 1 action point).
Eva HP
+2 +7 Acc HP
Pri +1 +8
Silent Devotion +1 Light in the Dark Eva
+1
Faith Specialty
Faith Specialty
Requires: any specialty that calls upon sacrificial action points
Requires: Proclaim the Heretic specialty
Your beliefs do not need to be yelled, exclaimed, or shouted.
When you call upon others to sacrifice action points to you, you Your allies are protected by your faith when confronting the her-
do so by your willpower alone. You may now ask for your allies’ etic. You and all of your allies may choose to use your spirit in
sacrifices with complete silence and no outward visual or audible place of their defense bonus when soaking damage dealt by the
cues to your foes. proclaimed heretic. Making this choice does not cost anybody
any action points.

146
 p Smiting Specialties M
HP Acc HP
Acc +7
+1 +8 +1
Stk
Smite Stk
+1
Zealous Smite +2
Faith Specialty Faith Specialty
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP (1 AP sacrifices) Requires: Smite specialty & 7 skill points in Faith
Your allies’ belief in your attack guides your hand against the un- Your smite does not merely deal great destruction but is also
faithful. You call for your allies’ faith, and their prayers give your a weapon of finesse and a tool of your faith. Any action point
attack strength. When you begin to make a smite, you call for sacrificed to your smite can, instead of increasing your attack’s
your allies within 25 feet to sacrifice 1 action point in order to em- damage class, be used like a normal action point for modifying
power your attack. Any ally who can hear you (or knows that you the attack with another specialty that you know.
called for their belief) and is within range can, reflexively, sacrifice For example, if you have the Conviction specialty (nor-
the action point. If your attack lands, your attack deals damage mally made as an attack +1 AP) and you make a Smite, you can
as if it were one damage class higher for every action point an convert one of the action points sacrificed to you in order to make
ally sacrificed to you. If nobody sacrificed an action point for the your Smite into a Smite with Conviction.
smite, it is treated like a normal attack.
An ally can only sacrifice one action point per smite, and
if the smite misses, the sacrificed action points are simply lost.
Acc HP
+2 +6
Pri
Assured Success +1
Faith Specialty
Requires: Smite specialty
When you smite your foes, your blade is guided by faith into the
enemy. For every action point sacrificed for your smite, the attack
gains a +1 on the accuracy roll.
Acc HP
+1 +7
Stk
Impassioned Victory +3
Faith Specialty
Requires: 17 skill points in Faith & Smite specialty
When your smite fells an evil foe, the attack is inspiring and leads

Chapter 9
your allies on to greater deeds. When your smite kills or incapaci-

Spirit
tates the person being attacked, all of those who sacrificed action
points to empower your smite instantly regain those sacrificed
action points.
Acc HP
+1 +8
Pri
Smiting Shot +2
Faith Specialty
Requires: Smite specialty
Your allies’ faith steadies your shot and flies with the bullet. You
may now make ranged smites, be it with a bow, firearm, or other
ranged weapon.

147
 Grace is understanding yourself and bypassing If the opponent is actively avoiding your gaze (poten-
your inner limits. Those fully serene are often tially because they know you have this ability), you might need to
known for their seemingly super-human abilities, be creative in order to force them to look toward you. If a connec-
their ability to ignore pain, ignore barriers, and do tion is made through a mirror, the connected people must stay at
things that simply aren’t considered possible for that angle or the connection is lost.
other people. Is grace magic? No, at least that’s Eva HP
what the practitioners of grace will say. Grace is +1 +9
Pri
simply the wisdom of knowing your limits and Danger Sense +5
how to bypass them. Grace Specialty
Requires: 5 skill points in Grace
Grace includes Resist: Cunning (negates)
the following
specialties: Cost: 1 AP reflexively (to warn others)
When a sniper locks onto you from a thousand feet away, you can
feel it in your bones and through the chill on your neck. When
Eva HP you or an adjacent ally are about to be attacked, roll your grace
+1 +9 against the first attacker’s cunning. If your grace meets or ex-
Def
Bloodsoak +2
ceeds their cunning, you may have your hit points up and make a
full evade roll against the attack.
Grace Specialty If you spend 1 action point reflexively, you may warn
Requires: 4 skill points in Grace others in your vicinity so that they have the same bonus. This
Your blood does not flow freely at another person’s convenience. warning is done as the attack is launched, so an opponent cannot
Chapter 9
Spirit

Through unearthly bodily training, you can keep yourself from stop his first attack from going off after the warning is given.
bleeding from deep gashes. When you would suffer bleeding Acc HP
damage, you may ignore 1 point per 4 skill points you have in +1 +8
Grace. Stk
Acc HP
Destabilize +2
+2 +7 Grace Specialty
Pri
Connection +1
Resist: Dexterity or Spirit (target’s discretion, tiers down)
Cost: Attack +1 AP
Grace Specialty Your attack disrupts their center of gravity, ensuring that they
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) won’t be able to enter a stance for several moments. If the op-
Resist: Spirit (negates) ponent is in a stance, they are knocked out of it unless they can
When you lock eyes with an opponent, they cannot easily break resist against your skill in grace.
the gaze. To make this connection, an opponent within 100 feet If the target is not in a stance, however, the target can-
makes a spirit roll opposed by your grace. If you succeed, their not enter a stance until they spend some action points to stabilize
gaze is locked with yours. They cannot move behind any cover again.
that would break the gaze or attack anybody else. If somebody
or something walks between the two of you, that will give the Destabilized until 1 action point is spent to stabilize
opponent an automatic and free resist to break the gaze. The op- Destabilized until 2 action points are spent to stabilize
ponent can back away (moving with a -10 feet move penalty), and
the connection is automatically broken at 100 feet. Destabilized until 3 action points are spent to stabilize
Destabilized until 4 action points are spent to stabilize

148
 Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +9 +1 +8
Def Eva
Dispel Pain +3 Master of Forms +1
Grace Specialty Grace Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Requires: 6 skill points in Grace & 2 stances known
When an opponent successful lands a called shot on you, you can You can enter multiple stances, gaining all of their effects. You
dispel the pain. Doing so allows you to re-roll the resist, and you can have one stance active per 3 skill points you have in grace.
add your grace to the roll. You must enter each one separately (spending 1 action point for
each stance). Of course, you cannot enter two mutually-exclusive
Acc HP stances. For instance, if a stance says that you cannot move while
+1 +7 in that stance, you cannot be in another stance that requires you
Eva
Force of Self +1
to move every turn.
Grace Specialty Eva HP
+1 +8
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Pri
Resist: Spirit (negates) Parting Waves +2
Your aura is so powerful that nobody can even come close to Grace Specialty
you. When you enter this stance, anybody attempting to step into Resist: Dexterity (negates)
an adjacent space to you must make a successful resist. If they
cannot make the resist, they can spend another action point in Cost: 1 AP reflexively
order to try again. If somebody is already standing next to you, Any time you successfully evade an attack from a melee weapon,
they are unaffected. However, if you and anybody adjacent to you you can reflexively spend 1 action points in order to disarm the
is separated, and they try to move next to you again, they must opponent of the weapon they attacked you with. They must make
again succeed in rolling the resist. You can allow allies to stand a dexterity resist against your skill in grace in order to keep their
next to you. weapon. If they fail, the weapon clatters to their feet.
Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +10 +1 +8
Pri Stk
Inner Calm +2 Shocking Soul +2
Grace Specialty Grace Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Requires: 9 skill points in Grace
You center yourself, calming your emotions and focusing your Cost: 2 AP reflexively
mind. While you are in your inner calm stance, you cannot be dis- If you are successfully struck by a melee attack, you can imme-
oriented. If you become disoriented while outside of this stance, diately channel the power of your soul through their weapon and
you may enter this stance to end the disorientation. into your assailant. The enemy takes 1 unsoakable damage per

Chapter 9
Spirit
Acc HP point you have in grace.
+1 +10 HP
Stk Acc
Iron Palm +2 +1
Eva
+8
Grace Specialty Spirit Break +1
Cost: Unarmed Called Shot +1 AP Grace Specialty
When you hit the opponent, your attack sends ripples through Cost: 1 AP reflexively
their body, activating multiple called shot effects as if you had hit You focus your mind and your thoughts, reaching out to the peo-
each one separately. When you make a called shot with your iron ple around you. Every time someone rolls their Spirit attribute
palm, your called shot affects multiple locations. within 25 feet of you, you may lower the result of the roll by your
Affects called shot and an adjacent location of your choice grace.
Affects called shot and two adjacent locations
Affects called shot and any two called shot locations
Affects called shot and any three called shot locations

149
 Acc HP
+1 +9

p Ki-Unleashing Specialties M
Eva
Spiritual Seal +1
Grace Specialty Eva HP
Cost: Attack +1 AP +1 +10
Your attack can seal the spirit on another person, causing them Stk
to be unable to tap into their strength of will. The target of your Ki Flow +1
attack takes a penalty on all of their spirit skills (faith, grace, Grace Specialty
luck, and shamanism) and the spirit attribute until the end of Resist: Brute or Spirit (negates, target’s discretion)
your next turn.
Cost: 2 AP
-3 Through meditation and will, you have refined the control of your
-6 internal energy. Your spirit strains against your flesh, manifesting
itself in moments of duress. Enemy’s near you are pushed away
-9 from you when you manifest your ki flow.
-12 Enemies within 5 feet of you must resist being pushed
Acc HP away 5 feet.
+1 +10
Stk Enemies within 10 feet of you must resist being pushed
Void Strike +2 away 5 feet.
Grace Specialty Enemies within 15 feet of you must make resist being
pushed away 5 feet.
Resist: Spirit (as evade; see below)
Cost: Melee Attack +1 AP Enemies within 20 feet of you must resist being pushed
away 5 feet.
You can guide your ki along the path of your strike, creating a
sharp wave that rends through the target. Your melee attack can Eva HP
target those an additional 5 feet away from you per point you have +1 +8
in Grace. Because of the nature of this attack, the target may Stk
choose to use his Spirit in place of his evade in order to avoid the Ki Rage +2
attack. If they have a poor spirit, they may use their evade as per Grace Specialty
normal. Requires: Ki Flow specialty
Cost: Ki Flow +1 AP (3 AP total)
The ki pressure that surrounds you has taken on a life of its own.
When you release your ki flow on the battlefield, it damages all
Chapter 9
Spirit

enemies that are affected by it. In addition to being pushed back,

they also take a few points of unsoakable damage.
3 damage
6 damage
9 damage
12 damage

150
 p Light-as-Air Specialties M p Paralyzing Specialties M
Eva HP Acc HP
+1 +6 +1 +7
Spd Stk
Feather in the Wind +5 Touch of Paralysis +2
Grace Specialty Grace Specialty
Cost: 1 AP (as a normal move) Resist: Brute (negates)
You may move across the air, over water, and skip across lava as Cost: Unarmed Attack +2 AP
though you were completely weightless. When you move like this, You strike out at major nerve clusters and pressure points, twist-
you can only move your normal speed weightlessly, and it must ing the target into a statue of agony. When you hit the target with
be a horizontal direction (you cannot move upwards). You may touch of paralysis, you also roll to determine the tier. The target
spend your next action point to continue moving weightlessly, is allowed to resist against a roll of your grace every time they
but during that brief second between moving weightlessly, your would take damage from the paralysis, and, once successfully re-
weight returns. If you are falling when you activate weightless- sisted, the effect ends. A person can be effected by only one touch
ness, you remain falling, but can move your speed horizontally. of paralysis at any given time, with the greater result overtaking
Any penalties you have to speed (such as from armor or the previous.
crippling attacks) affect your weightless speed.
The target takes 1 point of damage every time they try
Acc HP to move.
+1 +8
Eva The target takes 3 points of damage every time they try
Weightless +1 to move.
Grace Specialty The target takes 5 points of damage every time they try
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) to move.
Requires: Feather in the Wind specialty The target takes 7 points of damage every time they try
When you are standing in a single spot, you can control your to move.
body’s weight so that it is at equilibrium with its surroundings. Acc HP
If you are on water in your weightless stance, you will not sink. +1 +8
If you are in the air, in your weightless stance, you will not fall. Stk
If you stop moving weightlessly while in this stance (with your Blocked Ki +2
Feather in the Wind specialty), your weight does not return. Grace Specialty
If you are trying to enter this stance under duressed

Chapter 9
Requires: Touch of Paralysis specialty

Spirit
conditions (such as while falling), you may do so for 2 action
points, and may do so reflexively. Resist: Brute or Spirit (target’s discretion, tiers down)
You cannot jump from a point that would not normally Cost: Unarmed Attack +1 AP
support your weight, such as from the surface of a pond or on the You strike one of your opponent’s chakra points, disrupting their
edge of a palm leaf. natural energy flow. This causes a massive blockage that explodes
in pain when the opponent makes even the slightest of move-
ments. The opponent receives 1 point of unsoakable damage with
each action point they spend. The opponent may spend the indi-
cated amount of action point meditating, trying to unblock their
blocked ki.
1 AP to unblock the ki channel
2 AP to unblock the ki channel
3 AP to unblock the ki channel
4 AP to unblock the ki channel

151
 Luck is everywhere. Everyone has it. Some Acc HP
+2 +6
people have phenomenal luck, others are Eva
commonly out on their luck. You, however, Cheat Fate +1
know how to make your own luck. Now, it’s Luck Specialty
often a gamble, but when you win, you win Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
big. Lucky people manipulate their own fate, Using your natural luck, you are able to prevent certain outcomes
from being rolled. When you enter this stance, choose a single
sticking their necks on the line and hoping number from 2 to 11. If anybody near you rolls the number you
to persevere. The winners become the best, chose, they must re-roll it. If the same number is rolled on the
re-roll, it is kept.
and the losers, well, they often die. HP
Acc
Luck includes +1 +6
the following Eva
specialties: Equalizing Force +1
Acc HP Luck Specialty
+1 +7 Cost: 2 AP reflexively
Eva
Confident in your Luck +1 Luck is the great balancer, bringing good luck to the misfortu-
nate and bad luck to the fortunate. You can use equalizing force
Luck Specialty whenever you see somebody roll a die. For 2 action points, you
Cost: 1 AP reflexively change the die rolled to a 6.
You know the odds. You know that you’re oozing out good luck. If the target had rolled a 12, the 12 is now a 6 but they
Chapter 9

roll again and add the results. If they had rolled a 1, it is now a 6,
Spirit

When you so choose, you may use your skill in luck in place of
any other resist. Is somebody trying to push you around and you but they can’t add any of their bonuses to the 6. Now, a 6 is a 6
need a Brute resist to get out of it? Just spend 1 action point to is a 6. This specialty cannot be used to alter wound effect or fatal
use your skill in luck in place of your Brute attribute. effect rolls or any roll that requires a random die roll.
HP Eva HP
Eva +7
+2 +6 +1
Pri
Don’t Tell Me the Odds Pri
+2
Hex +3
Luck Specialty Luck Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Resist: Dexterity or Spirit (target’s discretion, negates)
You refuse to accept a bad hand dealt by fate and push on to suc- Cost: 2 AP reflexively
ceed. You can spend 1 action point reflexively to get a +1 on any When your enemies are moving toward you, there’s always some
roll, but you can only use it if the bonus will raise your roll high loose piece of rubble or a stray twig that trips them up. For 2 ac-
enough that it will reach a higher tier result. This bonus increases tion points, when anybody is moving directly toward you and is
by +1 for every 10 points you have in luck. within 25 feet, you can cause them to trip. They make an opposed
resist against your luck roll. If you meet or exceed their resist,
they fall to the ground and are prone (normally costing an action
point to stand up).

152
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +8 +1 +7
Stk Eva
Jackpot +3 Spot of Misfortune +1
Luck Specialty Luck Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Luck Requires: 3 skill points in Luck
Lucky hits are rare to find, so you squeeze them for all their Resist: Spirit (negates)
worth. When rolling strike or accuracy to determine damage, in- Cost: 2 AP to create, 1 AP reflexively to enact
crease your damage class by 2 every time you roll a pure 12. This
damage class increase only affects the one attack. You know when an area is filled with bad luck. Choose a 5 foot
spot within 25 feet of you. Any time somebody makes a combat
Acc HP roll (accuracy, evade, strike, or defense) while in that spot, you
+1 +9 may spend 1 action point to cause them to take a 1 on that roll.
Stk They can resist with their spirit opposed by your skill in luck.
Jinx +2 When you use spot of misfortune on an opponent, they
Luck Specialty get a feeling that they’re standing in an unlucky location. You can
Any time you are attacked, you can jinx that opponent. To do make one such location for every 3 points you have in luck.
so, you willingly take a 1 on the evade and defense rolls of the You can create a spot of misfortune inside a vehicle only
incoming attack, letting them land a full blow against you. You if the vehicle has a cockpit larger than 10 feet by 10 feet. Other-
can only choose to do this if you would have gained the full bo- wise, the vehicle is simply inside the spot of misfortune and can
nuses to your evade and defense in the first place. Your attacker move out of it.
is now jinxed. The next time they are attacked (be it from you or
an ally), you may add your skill in luck to either the accuracy or
strike roll. p Failure Avoidance Specialties M
Acc HP Eva HP
+1 +8 +1 +7
Eva Pri
Roll of the Dice +2 Free from Failure +2
Luck Specialty Luck Specialty
Requires: Any 1 other specialty from the Luck skill Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
The fates of fortune seem drawn to you, giving you every op- Requires: 6 skill points in Luck
portunity to take a gamble. At the begining of your turn you can While you might still do poorly, you have confidence that you’ll
make one free roll for the sole purpose of activating one of your never fail completely. While in this stance, your natural 1s are not
other luck specialties. Dice rolled this way can be stored without 1s. You may still add appropriate bonuses to rolls of 1. You may
spending action points. only do this if you rolled the 1 - having a specialty or effect that

Chapter 9
Spirit
HP causes you to take an effective 1 can’t be affected by Free from
Acc Failure.
+2 +6
Pri HP
Roulette +1
Acc
+1 +8
Eva
Luck Specialty
Cost: Attack +1 AP
Steady Friends +1
The more you’re willing to risk, the greater the rewards. When you Luck Specialty
announce your attack choose a number ranging from 1 through Requires: 10 skill points in Luck & Free from Failure specialty
12. Now roll your die without adding anything to it. If you get Cost: 1 AP reflexively
that number or higher, you get the number you chose as a bonus Your confidence extends to your friends and allies. When an ally
on your accuracy roll. If you get under that number, you resolve within 25 feet rolls a natural 1 and you are in your Free from Fail-
the attack as per normal. ure stance, you may allow your ally to add their normal bonuses
to the natural 1.

153
 Acc HP
+1 +9
p Foul Luck Specialties M
Eva
Leading the Lucky Life +1
Eva HP Luck Specialty
+1 +9 Requires: Ace Up My Sleeve specialty
Def Cost: 1 AP
Curse +2
You cash in on your saved fortune for a rush of revitalizing en-
Luck Specialty ergy. When using Ace Up My Sleeve to store pure 12s, you can
Resist: Spirit (negates) instead use 1 action point to remove one of your saved 12s and roll
Cost: 1 AP to store, 1 AP reflexively to use your luck to restore your hit points.
Your streaks of bad luck cause people to avoid you for fear of You restore 7 hit points
your bad vibes rubbing off on to them. When you roll a 1 in
combat, you may spend 1 action point to save that roll. Your roll You restore 14 hit points
remains a natural 1. You restore 21 hit points
You may spend one action point to give another person You restore 28 hit points
within 50 feet the same result. They roll their spirit against your
skill in luck to resist this effect. You may store a number of 1s Eva HP
equal to 1 plus 1 per 3 skill points you have in luck. These 1s are +1 +10
stored until your next breather and may only be used on any dice Wnd
rolled during combat. Second Chance +1
Acc HP Luck Specialty
+1 +8 Requires: Ace Up My Sleeve specialty
Eva
Fumble +1
Resist: Spirit (negates)
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Luck Specialty When things look their darkest you always seem to luck out of
Requires: Curse specialty the deadly blows. When hit by an attack which would normally
Resist: Spirit (negates) give you a fatal effect and you’ve stored a pure 12 with Ace Up My
Cost: 1 AP Sleeve, you can spend 1 reflexive action point and a stored 12 to
recieve a wound effect instead of recieving the fatal effect. The
Your foe gets overly excited and drops their weapon before they’re attacker may roll a spirit resist to negate this effect.
even able to deliver an attack. When you’ve stored natural 1s with
curse, you can spend an action point and one of your stored natu-
ral 1s to roll your luck against a target within 25 feet. If they fail to
resist, they drop their weapon as if they had been disarmed.

p Luck Holder Specialties M

Chapter 9
Spirit

Eva HP
+1 +6
Pri
Ace Up My Sleeve +2
Luck Specialty
Cost: 1 AP reflexively to grab the die, 1 AP to use
You’ve become strategic in your use of luck. You’re able to store
your successes and use them at more opportune times. Any time
you roll a pure 12 on a combat roll, you can store it. To do this
you must leave the die where it landed with the 12 showing and
announce to the table that you are storing that pure 12. You then
re-roll for the roll that you saved the die on.
You can use a saved pure 12 on any combat roll.
You must use the saved pure 12 before your next breath-
er. You can save one pure 12, plus an additional pure 12 per 4 skill
points you have in luck.

154
 p Lucky #7 Specialties M p Ranged Evading Specialties M
Eva HP Eva HP
+1 +6 +2 +6
Pri Pri
Lucky Number 7 +2 Feeling Lucky +1
Luck Specialty Luck Specialty
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) Resist: Spirit (tiers down)
You have a habit of getting twice as many pure rolls as anyone Cost: 1 AP reflexively
else. Any time your die rolls a 7, it becomes a “pure 7,” and you Ranged marksmanship and archery weapons have a habit of not
may roll again and add the results. Fancy that! working when they’re used to kill you. Hopefully that luck con-
Eva HP tinues. When being fired upon by a ranged weapon, the opponent
+1 +7 is allowed to resist. If they fail, roll your tier to determine the ill
Pri effect that happens to them.
Luckier Number 7 +2
You roll twice on your evade and take the highest result.
Luck Specialty
The weapon fails to fire.
Requires: Lucky Number 7 specialty & 16 skill points in Luck
Not only are natural 7s lucky for you, they are overwhelmingly The weapon fails to fire and the ammo is destroyed. The
lucky. Now, when you are in your Lucky Number 7 stance and weapon must be readied again, if applicable.
roll a 7, you can pick up the 7 and put it down as a 12. 7s equal 12s. The weapon backfires, dealing tier 1 damage to the user.
And then you can re-roll them.
Acc HP
+1 +5
Eva
Unfriendly Fire +2
Luck Specialty
Requires: Feeling Lucky specialty
Resist: Dexterity (negates)
Cost: 2 AP reflexively
Sometimes your enemies miss you. Sometimes their guns misfire.
Sometimes they explode in their hands. And sometimes your en-
emies accidently shoot each other. This specialty makes the latter
happen more often.
When you are shot at with a firearm, crossbow, or bow,
you can attempt to make the attack unfriendly fire for 2 action
points. Choose a target within 10 feet of you. They are the new
target of the shot.

Chapter 9
Spirit
The original attacker still determines if they hit against
the new target’s evade, but you roll your luck in order to deter-
mine what tier of damage is done. For every tier that the original
attacker rolls their resist above tier 1, they lower the damage by 1
tier. The new target can attempt to soak damage, as per normal.
If the attack was special (that is, had specialties modi-
fying it), all of the specialty modifiers are lost and the attack
becomes a normal attack. The original attacker keeps the extra
action points required to make the attack special.
Acc HP
+1 +7
Eva
Unfriendly Artillery +1
Luck Specialty
Requires: Feeling Lucky specialty & Unfriendly Fire specialty
When your divert an attack into a new target through sheer luck
alone, it has the potential to be very powerful. Your unfriendly fire
no longer loses the specialty modifiers from the original attack,
and the original attacker does not regain their action points from
adding those specialty modifiers.

155
 Shamanism is related to nature, the earth, HP
Acc
and everything organic. The shaman stands +1 +8
out among the modern, industrial world as Druidic
Stk
+2
a return to archaic times. Shamanism some-
Shamanism Specialty
times represents a manipulation of the ele- Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
ments. Other times it is a use of animals to Warped metal feels unnatural in your hand, and you’ve always felt
help further their causes. Regardless, those more at home wielding your ancestral, tribal weaponry. When in
with skill in shamanism will make a power- this stance, wood and organic weapons (not including unarmed
attacks) deal 2 damage classes higher.
ful and distinctive mark on any game. HP
Eva
Shamanism includes +1 +10
Def
the following
specialties:
Fire Resistance +3
Shamanism Specialty
Acc HP Your natural body heat increases. Your love of the flame has be-
+1 +8 gun to manifest as you become more and more resistant to fire.
Eva Any time you take damage from fire or a fire-based attack, you
Control Beast +1 soak a fair deal of the damage.
Shamanism Specialty
3 damage from heat or fire soaked
Cost: 3 AP
6 damage from heat or fire soaked
Chapter 9

You are able to calm an animal and gain its loyalty. You may even
Spirit

be able to redirect its anger. 9 damage from heat or fire soaked

If you attempt to use this ability on an animal under 12 damage from heat or fire soaked
another shaman’s control, the owner and you must make opposed
shamanism rolls. If you succeed, you can attempt to control it. If Acc HP
you fail, nothing occurs. +1 +7
Eva
The animal becomes cautious, only attacking if forced Geomancer +1
The animal becomes passive and will not attack Shamanism Specialty
The animal becomes passive and willing to help you Requires: Topographer specialty
The animal becomes your ally, and will not attack you. Choose an extreme terrain: jungle, desert, swamp, tundra, high at-
You may direct it to attack another, at your discretion. mosphere, or the abyss (deep underwater); or an extreme weather
condition: raging thunderstorm, hurricane, tornado, blizzard, me-
teor shower, sand-storm, or heat wave. When fighting in these
chosen conditions, you may use your skill in shamanism in place
of any tiered skill roll.

156
 Acc HP Acc HP
+1 +10 +1 +6
Def Eva
Hardened Trainer +2 Still as Stone +1
Shamanism Specialty Shamanism Specialty
Through years of dealing with animals, you are keen at fighting Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
against them. When you are fending off an animal, you gain a Stalking your prey like a crouched cougar, you wait for the ex-
bonus to your defense equal to your skill in shamanism. act correct moment to pounce, still as the world around you and
Stk HP blending in as if you were a part of the scene itself. Whether
+2 +9 you’re in the quiet meadows and copses of the forest or a back-
Pri alley in the night, you can blend in with your surroundings per-
Lion’s Roar +2 fectly while standing still. When you enter this stance, you gain
a bonus equal to your skill in Shamanism to hide when you have
Shamanism Specialty cover.
Resist: Spirit (negates) HP
Cost: 2 AP Acc
+1 +8
You breathe deeply and let out a mighty roar that strikes fear into Stk
the heart of all nearby enemies. When making such a warcry, all Tactics of the Wolf +3
opponents within 50 feet who can hear you must roll a spirit re- Shamanism Specialty
sist against your Shamanism. If they do not resist, they become
frightened, suffering the effects of Tier 2 fear. Cost: Melee Attack reflexively
HP You’ve learned to approach combat like a pack of wolves attack-
Eva ing their prey: all at once. When somebody attacks an adjacent
+1 +9 opponent, you can make a reflexive attack against that opponent.
Def
Naturalist +2 If you hit, you gain a bonus on your strike.
Shamanism Specialty You gain +3 on the strike roll
Requires: 5 skill points in Shamanism You gain +6 on the strike roll
Coating yourself in metal makes you uneasy. You gain an addi- You gain +9 on the strike roll
tional soak class for every 5 skill points you have in Shamanism
while wearing organic or wooden armor. You gain +12 on the strike roll
Stk HP Eva HP
+2 +7 +1 +7
Pri Pri
Parasite +2 Topographer +2

Chapter 9
Spirit
Shamanism Specialty Shamanism Specialty
Resist: Brute (tiers down) Be it huricane, heatwave, blizzard, or sleet, you are able to func-
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns tion in all weather conditions without penalty. In addition, you
take no penalties for moving through rough or unsafe terrain.
By stomping in constant rythm, you draw out nearby insect colo-
nies to assault an opponent within 25 feet. On the turn the swarm
attacks, and every turn thereafter, roll on the called shot chart.
The victim must roll to resist against your shamanism or suffer
the effects of this called shot.
Anything that would effect an area disrupts the swarm
and it must be reformed (for 2 action points). If at any point you
lose the ability to move your legs or are knocked prone, the swarm
is disrupted.

157
 p Bird Calling Specialties M p Chemical Immunity Specialties M
Acc HP Eva HP
+1 +7 +1 +10
Eva Def
Avian Wrath +1 Venom Immunity +2
Shamanism Specialty Shamanism Specialty
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns Being stung, being bitten, having venom injected into your body:
Raising your hands above you and whistling, you call down death these things used to be a big deal, but they’re less worrisome
from above. Native animals dive down and attack your victim, a now-a-days. When you are attempting to resist a poison, add your
victim who can be up to 50 feet away. Depending on your sur- skill in shamanism to the resist roll.
roundings, these creatures might be fish, bats, birds, or even in- Eva HP
sects, though they’re never larger than a human’s fist. When you +1 +9
first call the animals, you must make an accuracy roll against the Def
target’s evade (just like a normal attack). If you hit them with Alchemical Resistance +3
your summoned avians, they deal damage as per the tiers below.
This damage can be soaked. Shamanism Specialty
Anything that would affect an area (such as an explosion Requires: Venom Immunity specialty
or gas) disrupts the swarm (forcing you to start over, if you so You’ve trained your body to ward off venoms, both natural and
desire). If at any point you lose the ability to speak, the swarm is unnatural. When resisting any alchemical substances (gases, ac-
disrupted. You may not talk while continuing an avian wrath or ids, poisons, et cetera), add your skill in Shamanism to the roll.
use any specialties requiring the use of your voice.
Animals deal 6 inital damage, 3 damage when continued p Protective Swarm Specialties M
Animals deal 12 inital damage, 6 damage when continued HP
Def
Animals deal 18 inital damage, 9 damage when continued +2 +9
Pri
Animals deal 24 inital damage, 12 damage when continued Protect the Monarch +1
Acc HP Shamanism Specialty
+1 +8 Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
Eva
Blacken the Sky +1 By vibrating your vocal cords, you trgger a defense mechanism in
nearby creatures that swarm you, protecting you from harm. As
Shamanism Specialty with all swarms, these are creatures native to the terrain ranging
Requires: Avian Wrath specialty from fishes to small woodland creatures and even insects, though
Resist: Cunning (negates) they are never larger than a fist.
When using avian wrath, the swarm of squaking animals becomes Anything that would affect an area disrupts the swarm
so dense that it distracts your foe. Every turn an opponent is hit and it must be reformed again (costing 2 action points). If at any
Chapter 9

by your avian wrath, they must resist against your Shamanism point you lose the ability to speak, the swarm is disrupted. You
Spirit

or be disoriented (losing 1 action point). Once your avian wrath may not talk while continuing a protect the monarch or use any
stops, they become re-oriented. specialties requiring you to use your voice. You may only be cov-
ered in one swarm at a time.
Acc HP
+1 +8 +1 soak class
Eva
Pitch Black +1 +2 soak class
Shamanism Specialty +3 soak class
Requires: Avian Wrath & Blacken the Sky specialties +4 soak class
When using Avian Wrath, your swarm becomes so thick and fast
that it blocks out all light around your victim. The victim is now
blinded while they remain the target of the avian wrath.

158
 Def HP Acc HP
+3 +10 +1 +8
Pri Stk
Devoted Drones +1 Drag Down +1
Shamanism Specialty Shamanism Specialty
Requires: Protect the Monarch specialty Requires: Colony of One specialty
The swarm covering your body is willing to die in order to protect Resist: Brute (negates)
you. When using protect the monarch, the swarm is only dis- The vermin swarm pulls its opponents to the ground. Any foe suc-
rupted when dismissed (such as when you stop spending action cessfully grabbed by your Colony of One is also brought prone
points on it) or until your next breather. unless they can make a brute resist against your Shamanism.
Def HP Acc HP
+2 +7 +1 +9
Spd Eva
Hive Exodus +5 Hive Mind +1
Shamanism Specialty Shamanism Specialty
Requires: Protect the Monarch specialty Requires: Colony of One specialty
Be it from lifting you up into the air or dragging you across the When continuing a swarm, it is no longer disrupted when you are
battlefield, each turn you spend with Protect the Monarch active, knocked prone or rendered unable to speak. This means you may
your swarm may move you in any direction. If moved into the air now freely speak and use specialties requiring speech without
the swarm maintains you there each turn until disturbed. having to call out your swarms again.
You are moved 5 feet Acc HP
You are moved 10 feet +1 +9
Stk
You are moved 15 feet Pressure Cooker +2
You are moved 20 feet Shamanism Specialty
Requires: Colony of One specialty
The swarm of creatures holding down the victim begins to move
rapidly, cooking them with sheer friction. Each turn after grab-
p Swarming Insect Specialties M bing a target with colony of one, a point or more of unsoakable
damage is dealt to the target.
Acc HP
+8 Takes 1 unsoakable damage
+1
Stk Takes 2 unsoakable damage
Colony of One +1
Takes 3 unsoakable damage
Shamanism Specialty
Takes 4 unsoakable damage
Resist: Brute or Dexterity (negates, as per a grab)
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
By humming at a very low frequency, you are able to call a swarm

Chapter 9
Spirit
of native insects or animals to overwhelm your victim and hold
them in place. These creatures can be anything smaller than your
fist and native to the area. The swarm uses your accuracy when
making a grab against its target no farther then 50 feet away. In
order for the victim to break free they must roll resist against your
skill in shamanism (using their brute or dexterity).
Anything that would affect an area (such as an explosion
or gas) disrupts the swarm (forcing you to start over, if you so
desire). If at any point you lose the ability to speak, the swarm is
disrupted. You may not talk while continuing a colony of one or
use any specialties requiring the use of your voice.
The swarm grabs one called shot location
The swarm grabs one called shot location
The swarm grabs two called shot locations
The swarm grabs two called shot locations

159
 Chapter 10

Science
The Sciences Attribute includes these skills:
Alchemy
Armsmith
Automata
Bio-Flux
Engineer
Gadgetry
Sciences
Chapter 10

160
The Sciences attribute represents a character’s proficiency to make items, invent new items, and utilize their
creations in ways better than anyone else can. Knowledge in the sciences will give you information of the
world, allowing you to deduct what are the elements in a serum, take apart and reassemble an advanced
firearm, and use general book knowledge to solve a number of riddles.

What can you do with your sciences attribute?

Disassemble
Through your experience crafting, it’s also taught you how to
break things down. Disassembling will often be used for traps
and mines, to prevent their activation.
You can disassemble small, practical things, such as a
clock or door.
You can disassemble a simple trap or item (Marque I or II).
You can disassemble a complicated trap or item (Marque
III).
You can disassemble a clever trap or item (Marque IV).

Understand
Because of your knowledge of science, you have a knack for
comprehending what an item does and the purpose it serves. If
you see an item, you can attempt to ascertain what it does.
You can understand what its basic function is, but none
of its augments.
You can determine its basic functions and Marque I aug-
ments.
You can determine its basic functions and up to Marque
II augments.
You can determine its basic functions and all augments
up to Marque III.

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Chapter 10

161
 Crafting
Though each of the six crafting science skills are certainly different, they each utilize a similar system. This craft-
ing system works on a few key principles: downtime, augments, and marques. All crafting occurs during downtime,
when the game is otherwise not running and the character is left to his own devices. If the game goes a couple
days without any major plot unfolding, that’s downtime.
Let’s say that your party’s armsmith, Isabella, wants to craft herself a nice sword. She has 8 points in her
Armsmith skill and the Weapon Smith specialty, so she can craft a sword with three slots. She applies the augments
accurate and reach to the weapon (each of which being one slot). Because she has 8 points in the skill, they are
all Marque II. That means her accurate augment gives the sword a +2 on accuracy rolls, and her reach augment
extends the reach of the sword out by five feet (making it one long sword!).

Learning Augments Augments & Marques

You gain augments by taking craft-oriented specialties. When Almost every item you can craft has
you learn a specialty in crafting, sometimes you will gain a num- a number of slots on it that you can Skill of... Augment at...
ber of augments from the specialty. For each augment you gain place augments into. Most augments 0-4 Mq. I
in this way, choose one augment from any list that you have ac- will only take up one slot, but some
cess to from a specialty. (Weaponsmith, for instance, gives you augments, called complex augments, 5-14 Mq. II
access to all of the Weaponsmith augments that you are eligible are very powerful and take up mul- 15-24 Mq. III
to learn.) Once you have learned an augment, you may place it on tiple slots. Each augment will tell
any item of its type that you craft. So, if you create a weapon, and you how many slots it is worth just 25 Mq. IV
you know the “Accurate” augment, any weapon you craft that has beneath its name.
enough open slots may contain the “Accurate” augment. You can Augments often have four marques available to them
only place an augment on an item once (so a sword could not be - upgrades that make the augment more powerful as you gain
augmented with “Accurate” multiple times). skill in your craft. Marques are similar to tiers, except, instead of
The fastest way to gain augments is to take the Learn rolling, you simply look at your skill. If your skill falls within a
Augments specialty on the next page. certain range, that’ll be your marque. Consult the chart below.

Do-It-Yourself Crafting in your Downtime

Once you start taking crafting specialties, you’ll gain a DIY score. Crafting is something that takes time - you can’t just write it down
This “Do-It-Yourself” score tells you how many of your hand- on your character sheet and suddenly have a dozen poisonous
crafted items you can keep on yourself at any given time without chemicals. Unfortunately, real life (and that’s what we’re going for
having to pay for the base materials. here, obviously) doesn’t work that way. Instead, crafting is done
The items that you craft from your DIY score are shoddy, in your downtime.
Sciences
Chapter 10

somewhat rugged items that you have pieced together over time. Downtime is loosely defined as all of the time you aren’t
They’re not composed of the finest rifle-stock, the best wood, actively roleplaying your character or forced to do something. If
or the clockmaker’s finest gears. These are the items that you’ve your character has a couple days off, that’s downtime. If your
simply figured out how to work and they’re the ones you keep character is on a voyage at sea for a couple months, that’s down-
with you. time. Setting up camp in a dangerous dungeon complex is not
You can lend out items that you’ve crafted from your downtime - your character has no time to work on things and
DIY score to your fellow adventurers and friends. However, be- replenish his supplies.
cause of the rickshaw nature of DIY-made items, they require During downtime you can make new items, repair old
constant upkeep. If one of your items is away from you for lon- ones, and refill your supplies. If you’re an alchemist that can have
ger than a single period of downtime (that is, a couple days), it’ll five potions at any given time, downtime will allow you to replen-
stop working properly and become little more than useless scrap ish those five potions.
materials. Downtime is subject to the narrator’s discretion and is
You may craft items of a higher quality by purchasing a way for narrator’s to control the flow of time and the game. If
them at the total cost of the item if it were one marque less than you’re out of supplies and the warrior’s equipment is all broken,
your current marque. The resulting item requires little mainte- it might be time for some downtime to recuperate. Yet maybe you
nance and is of high quality. It has your marque, even though it have a very brief amount of downtime and your narrator decides
cost less for you to craft. Items bought in this way are of selling that you have enough time to replenish two of your potions, but
quality. This kind of purchase can only be made in a place that not all of them. That’s at your narrator’s discretion.
can provide materials - consult your narrator.

162
Specialties
Aug HP
+4 +4 The Cost of Prototyping
DIY
Learn Augments +1
Many inventors can produce beta objects: creations that
exceed the normal augment limit of 3. These beta de-
General Crafting Specialty signs, however, are so difficult to use that only the origi-
You learn the granted augments. You can take this specialty mul- nal inventor can typically control them. But while many
tiple times. crafters can build betas, very few can build prototypes.
Prototypes are objects that exceed the typical augment
HP limit of 3 but that anybody can use.
Acc
+1 +4 The materials cost for creating the extra aug-
Aug ments for prototypes is the same as it always is. How-
Nothing up my Sleeve +2 ever, because prototypes are so rare, those who create
General Crafting Specialty them will typically inflate the price for the extra effort
and skill required to craft the items. When buying off
You are known for always having the right item for the right job. the market, the extra 2 augments that prototypes allow
At any given moment, you can craft an item on the fly, acting as
though you already had it. It must be concealable (thus, you can’t will often be double the price of the normal 3 augment
just pull a tank or heavy rifle out of your pocket). You can only do item.
this once between downtimes, and the item must be something
you know how to craft (as in, you have taken the basic crafting
specialty for the item and any augments you are going to put on
it).

c Augments with the Same Name c

Sometimes, you’ll find an “Accurate” augment under bow augments and an “Ac-
curate” augment under weapon augments. They might have slightly different flavor
text, but they do the exact same thing. Well, if you learn one, you’ve learned the

Sciences
Chapter 10
other.
Anytime you learn an augment, you know that augment regardless of
which section of the book it falls under. If you learn how to craft firearms, cross-
bows, bows, and melee weapons, there is no need to learn the “Damaging” aug-
ment 4 different times. Just learn it once, and you’re good to go!

163
 p AlchemyM
Alchemy allows a person to create everything from basic acid to chemical weaponry. Alche-
my uses chemicals to create a variety of potent solutions. Chemical weapons have gone into
rapid development over the past fifty years, yet the usage of poisons, medicinal potions,
and numerous other alchemic substances has been around for centuries. An alchemist can
bring great diversity to any group, being most noteworthy for his healing abilities. Beyond
medicinal, alchemist have a wide reportoir of explosives, corrosives, gases, and poisons.
This is not a person you want to see on a bad day.

Using Potions
Potions find themselves being thrown around combat in all
sorts of ways: a friendly toss to an ally, a deadly throw at an
opponent, jabbed down someone’s throat, smashed into the
ground at your feet, or poured over a wound. Here are some
basic rules for using potions.

Drawing & Drinking c p Immunity Specialties M

Cost: 1 AP Def HP
Drawing and drinking a potion can be one smooth action that +2 +8
costs one action point. It does leave you open to melee reflexes: Aug
reflexive attack, reflexive called shot to the lower arm (disarm), Self-Made Immunity +1
or a reflexive called shot to the wielded item (sunder, this time Alchemy Specialty
to the potion). Be careful of drinking in combat!
Requires: Either Acid Brewer, Gas Brewer, or Poison Brewer specialty
Throwing c Due to prolonged exposures with your chemicals, your body has
become immune to all of your harmful conconctions. Any harm-
Cost: 2 AP ful potions that you create, including contact poisons, can no lon-
You may throw a potion at an enemy. You must have already ger harm you.
Sciences

drawn the weapon in order to do so. Attacking somebody with

Chapter 10

Def HP
it requires 2 AP, and it deals damage as an unarmed weapon. +6
Potions have a range of 25 feet. +2
Aug
If you miss with a potion, it lands nearby and breaks. Immunizations +1
The narrator will determine if it lands on the space the enemy Alchemy Specialty
was in or near them.
You can also toss a potion to an ally. This works in Requires: Self-Made Immunity specialty
much the same way, except you need not roll accuracy and You can brew your potions based on your friend’s chemical make-
evade - unless, of course, the ally doesn’t want it! (For the ally up, ensuring that they are also immune to your harmful concoc-
to catch the toss, they must have one hand free, but it doesn’t tions. During any breather (a period of 15 minutes or more), you
cost any action points. They can drink it for 1 action point, as can immunize an ally against your harmful potions. From that
per normal, but may do so reflexively when they catch it.) point on, they are immune to any potions that you create un-
til you specify that they are not. You can also designate potions
Applying Poison to a Weapon c
against which they are not immune.
Cost: 3 AP
You can apply a poison to a weapon for 3 action points. Do-
ing so coats the weapon. The first time that the weapon deals
damage (after damage soak), the poison is used. You can’t coat
a bullet with a poison, and a weapon can only be coated in one
poison at a time.
164
 p On-the-Fly Specialties M
Eva HP Eva HP
+1 +4 +1 +5
Aug Aug
On-the-Fly Brewer +2 Walking Chemical Plant +1
Alchemy Specialty Alchemy Specialty
Cost: 3 AP per augment slot Requires: On-the-Fly Brewer & Expiration specialty
You carry many of your basic chemicals on you and can mix You can brew potions well past your normal DIY score. You may
them during the heat of battle to create that all-so-necessary po- brew as many potions as you’d like; however, all potions you brew
tion. You can create any potion on-the-fly as long as you have past your DIY limit expire and become duds within a number
some basic chemicals on you. You can never have any more of of turns after you brew them. (At your discretion, you can cause
your own potions brewed than your DIY score would allow. You them to expire earlier.)
may divide the action points spent brewing your potions over as
many turns as you would like. Augments that do not have a slot Expires at the end of your next turn
cost require only 1 action point to be put in the potion. Expires up to 2 turns later
Eva HP Expires up to 3 turns later
+1 +4
Aug Expires up to 4 turns later
Expiration +2
Alchemy Specialty
Requires: On-the-Fly Brewer specialty
Any of the chemicals that you brew on-the-fly can be brewed
p General Alchemy Augments M
with an expiration time. The potion may either activate upon ex-
piring or become a dud. If you set the potion to activate, acids
will eat through the vial, and gases will be automatically released. These are augments that, once learned, can be placed on almost
Once the dud potion expires, it’s little more useful than water any acid, gas, medicine, or poison.
(and fails to even provide the hydrating benefits of water).
You may set the potion to expire within up to 5 turns.
The potion will expire at the end of your turn, based on the num- C ontact
ber of turns set.
General Alchemical Augment
DIY HP The potion seeps through skin and armor, going straight into
+1 +5 the blood stream. You can now simply throw the vial at an ally in
Aug
Herbalist +2 order for the potion to affect them. They do not need to catch it
and drink it themselves.
Alchemy Specialty Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
Requires: On-the-Fly Brewer specialty purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
The world is your chemistry set. You have no need for urban ment despite your skill in alchemy.
chemicals, and can create your potions with only those things
found in the wild. Lost in the forest? The herbs will provide ev-
erything you need. Stuck in a dank dungeon? Look for an under- S olid

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Chapter 10
ground stream and some moss. You can use On-the-Fly Brewer General Alchemical Augment
without any need for basic chemicals, and can do so almost any-
where. You develop your alchemical substances as a pill or small glob
with a protective coating. The substance takes on a solid state,
Eva HP so that it can exist underwater or in other liquids. It will stay that
+1 +5 way until broken.
Aug
Rapid Mixer +1
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
Alchemy Specialty ment despite your skill in alchemy.
Requires: On-the-Fly Brewer specialty
Cost: 1 AP per augment slot
You have little need for pre-prepared potions. You can now brew
potions on-the-fly for only 1 action point per augment slot used
in the potion. Augments that cost 0 slots on the potion may be
placed on the potion for no action point cost.

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 Crafting Acids Aug HP
+5
+2
DIY
Acid Brewer +1
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
augment is 6 dukes.
Alchemy Specialty HP
Aug
When we say acids, we’re not talking about citrus-based cleaning +2 +5
supplies. We’re talking about acids that eat through metals within DIY
seconds, acids that burn skin, and acids that reduce the iron of a Beta Acids +1
sword to its original form. You can now brew acids.
Alchemy Specialty
Acids are often used to attack a single person.
Requires: 4 skill points in Alchemy & Acid Brewer specialty
Without spending any money, you can brew and main-
tain several acids based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Your acids go far beyond what most other chemists dream of,
score. These acids can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll yet they are difficult for most people to use. Such acids have two
learn 2 augments from this specialty which can be selected under more slots for you to place augments into.
“acid augments” below. These augments have marques. At lower If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in Al- beta acids, they must succeed in rolling a science result one tier
chemy improves, your marques will increase. See the “Crafting” higher than the highest level marque you have on your acid. If
page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. your acid has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them to
Each acid can be upgraded with 3 augments. Sometimes use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with their
an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For example, science attribute).
the “flesh burner” augment is worth 2 slots, so an acid only has 1 Aug HP
more available slot for an augment after “flesh burner” has been +1 +6
applied. DIY
Resisting Acids z
Prototype Acids +1
All acids can be resisted with a brute roll. For every tier of brute Alchemy Specialty
rolled above Tier 1, the marque of the acid is reduced by 1. Requires: 16 skill points in Alchemy, Acid Brewer, & Beta Acids
z
specialties
Number of Acids you can Maintain You’ve perfected your beta acids and made them user-friendly.
Without needing to buy chemicals, you can brew some acids en- Now anybody can use an acid that you designate as being a pro-
tirely out of scraps. These acids must be constantly maintained totype.
by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You can
p Acid Augments M
build and maintain a number of acids based on your DIY score.
You can brew new acids or augment old ones during any period
of downtime you have.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 B urns
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Chapter 10

You can build: 3 4 4 4 5 5 Acid Augment

Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 This acid burns the skin of the person it is thrown on. This is
resistable and goes away after taking a breather.
You can build: 5 6 6 6 7 7
Tier 1 burns (giving you a -1 on defense rolls)
The Cost of Acids z Tier 2 burns (giving you a -3 on defense rolls)
If you need to brew an acid that you can’t build for free from your
DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. Tier 3 burns (giving you a -5 on defense rolls)
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the Tier 4 burns (giving you a -7 on defense rolls)
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
F lesh B urner
Marque I II III IV
Acid Augment
Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Acid
If you are brewing the augment, you pay 1/5 the price, which Flesh burning acid damages living people and organic tissue. If
th

is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. used on a person, it deals damage to them. If simply thrown on
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market somebody, it will lower the soak class of the person’s armor (and

166
cannot be resisted). (If thrown on a person wearing organic ar- into an effect.
mor, it will affect the armor first.) If a called shot is made to the
person’s organic weapon (or another wielded item), it will lower Affects 1 adjacent space
the damage class of the weapon. If used on an organic trinket Affects 2 adjacent spaces
or gizmo of any sorts, it will render the item unusable until the
item can be hammered out. Normally a weapon or armor can be Affects 3 adjacent spaces
banged back to its original form during a breather (15 minutes Affects 4 adjacent spaces
or more).
6 damage or a -1 to damage or soak class
T hick R ust
12 damage or a -2 to damage or soak class
Acid Augment
18 damage or a -3 to damage or soak class Requires: Rusting Augment
24 damage or a -4 to damage or soak class The acid gets into the finer pieces of the armor, beginning to rust
in even the smallest movements. The opponent takes a penalty
to dexterity and also must spend twice as many action points to
M etal M elter get out of their armor. The armor can be cleaned out during the
Acid Augment next breather.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Acid -3 dexterity
This melts away metals, causing them to lose their form and -6 dexterity
substance. If used on an automaton, metal vehicle, or somebody
inexplicably made of metal, it deals damage to them. If simply -9 dexterity
thrown on somebody wearing armor, it will lower the soak class -12 dexterity
of the person’s armor (and cannot be resisted). (If thrown on a
metal creation wearing armor, it will affect the armor first until
the armor is gone.) If a called shot is made to the person’s weap- W ood W recker
on (or another wielded item), it will lower the damage class of the
weapon. If used on a trinket or gizmo of any sorts, it will render Acid Augment
the item unusable until the item can be hammered out. Normally Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Acid
a weapon or armor can be banged back to its original form during
a breather (15 minutes or more). This melts away wood, causing it to lose its form and substance.
If used on a wooden automaton, vehicle, or somebody inexpli-
6 damage or a -1 to damage or soak class cably made of wood, it deals damage to them. If simply thrown
on somebody wearing wooden armor, it will lower the soak class
12 damage or a -2 to damage or soak class of the person’s armor (and cannot be resisted). (If thrown on a
18 damage or a -3 to damage or soak class wooden creation wearing wooden armor, it will affect the armor
first, until the armor is gone.) If a called shot is made to the
24 damage or a -4 to damage or soak class person’s wooden weapon (or another wielded item), it will lower
the damage class of the weapon. If used on a wooden trinket
or gizmo of any sorts, it will render the item unusable until the
R usting item can be hammered out. Normally a weapon or armor can be
Acid Augment banged back to its original form during a breather (15 minutes
or more).
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Acid

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Chapter 10
The acid rapidly begins to rust armor and washes out important 6 damage or a -1 to damage or soak class
lubrication, causing the armor to lock up. When an opponent is in 12 damage or a -2 to damage or soak class
medium or heavier metal armor, and is splashed with the acid, it
begins to grind on itself, decreasing movement speed. 18 damage or a -3 to damage or soak class
-5 speed, -10 swim and climb speeds 24 damage or a -4 to damage or soak class
-10 speed, -10 swim and climb speeds
-10 speed, -15 swim and climb speeds
-15 speed, -15 swim and climb speeds
Automatons and vehicles effected by the rusting augment take
the penalty to regular speed only.

S plash
Acid Augment
Your acids splash against multiple spots. The marque of this aug-
ment determines how many adjacent spaces the acid will splash

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 Crafting Gases Aug HP
+4
+2
DIY
Gas Brewer +1 Dispersing Gases
Alchemy Specialty The conditions of the battlefield often determine the amount
You can whip up the most eye-bleeding, mouth-gagging, toxic of time a gas can remain on the field without dispersing nat-
gases around. You can now brew gases. urally. When determining if a gas is dispersed, the narrator
rolls to determine whether or not the gas is dispersed, giving
Gases affect the space that the gas was released, and no special bonuses to the roll unless otherwise stated.
every adjacent space. Every turn, the gas has a chance of leaving,
which the narrator will roll for at the end of the every turn after Gases cannot be deployed underwater, and the con-
they throw it. The likelihood of the gas dissipating is based on ditions of wind have the greatest effect on the dispersing
how windy it is, with Tier 1 being absolutely no wind (such as a of gases. Each turn, the narrator rolls and must surpass the
small, airtight room) and Tier 4 being a very windy area (such as required roll based on the tier of the wind to determine if
during a storm or aboard a fast-flying ironbird). See the sidebar: the gas remains.
Dispersing Gases. The gas will stay on a roll of 2 or higher. Tier 1 wind
Without spending any money, you can brew and main- Tier 1 is stagnant air.
tain several gases based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
score. These gases can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll Tier 2 The gas will stay on a roll of 5 or higher. Tier 2 wind
is a breeze.
learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected under
“gas augments” below. These augments have marques. At lower
levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in Al- Tier 3 The gas will stay on a roll of 9 or higher. Tier 3 wind
is a gust.
chemy improves, your marques will increase. See the “Crafting”
page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. Tier 4 The gas will stay on a roll of 12 or higher. Tier 4 wind
is a strong gust.
Each gas can be upgraded with 3 augments. Sometimes
an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For example, Gases can also be dispersed by certain other forces. When
the “blinding” augment is worth 2 slots, so a gas only has 1 more something moves through the area, it will disperse the gas un-
available slot for an augment after “blinding” has been applied. less the narrator rolls a 5 or more. If a bomb goes off in the
z
gas, it will disperse the gas unless the narrator rolls a 9 or more.
Resisting Gases Gases with expirations disperse naturally or cannot be deployed
All gases can be resisted with a brute roll. For every tier of brute when they expire.
rolled above Tier 1, the marque of the gas is reduced by 1.
If you are brewing the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
Number of Gases you can Maintain z is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
Without needing to buy chemicals, you can brew some gases en-
tirely out of scraps. These gases must be constantly maintained price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You can augment is 8 dukes.
build and maintain a number of gases based on your DIY score. Aug HP
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Chapter 10

You can brew new gases or augment old ones during any period +2 +4
of downtime you have. DIY
Beta Gases +1
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alchemy Specialty
You can build: 3 3 4 4 4 5 Requires: 4 skill points in Alchemy & Gas Brewer specialty
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 Your gases are much more lethal than most, yet they are difficult
You can build: 5 5 6 6 6 7 for most people to use. Such gases have two more slots for you to
place augments into.
The Cost of Gases z If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
beta gases, they must succeed in rolling a science result one tier
If you need to brew a gas that you can’t create for free from your higher than the highest level marque you have on your gas. If
DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. your gas has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them to
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with their
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment science attribute).
can be found in the chart below.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes

168
 Aug HP
+1 +4
DIY
Prototype Gases +1 C orrosive
Alchemy Specialty Gas Augment
Requires: 16 skill points in Alchemy, Gas Brewer, & Beta Gases A corrosive chemical weapon deals damage to everything it hits.
specialties They can melt skin, destroy lungs, or worse. The corrosive does
You’ve perfected your beta gases and made them user-friendly. hit point damage to every person inside, every time they end their
Now anybody can use a gas that you designate as being a pro- turn inside the corrosive gas (though this is resistable).
totype. 3 damage

p Gas Augments M
6 damage
9 damage
12 damage
A rea of E ffect
Gas Augment C onfusing
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Gas Gas Augment
Your gas affects more areas. You can, at your discretion, make the Confusing gas disorients the target, making them unable to make
area of effect smaller than your normal marque allows. cunning rolls. If the target fails to resist, they will automatically
take a 1 on any cunning rolls they make. Furthermore, the con-
within 10 feet of the original space fused victim will be unaware of their own confusion, and will
within 15 feet of the original space naturally default to cunning if that is their highest attribute. Any
person affected by the gas will remain in a confused state for a
within 20 feet of the original space number of turns after leaving the gas (though this is resistable).
within 25 feet of the original space
1 turn
2 turns
A rm M utation 3 turns
Gas Augment 4 turns
Your gas causes the nerves in their arm to become unwound, for
their flesh to warp, and for their arms to become largely unus-
able. If effected with an arm mutation, the target may resist with F ogging
a resilience result one tier higher than the mark of this augment.
Any time the target makes a roll that uses the arm, including ac- Gas Augment
curacy and strike (and evade if they attempt to deflect), the target A fogging gas blurs the vision of everyone within the area the
suffers a penalty on the roll. The mutation lasts for a number of weapon effects. Those within the fogging are effectively in poor
turns based on the mark. lighting, suffering a -2 on accuracy and evade rolls. If somebody
leaves the area they are no longer effected, or if somebody enters
-1 for 3 turns the area, they enter into the poor lighting. If somebody is trying
-2 for 4 turns to shoot through the fogging gas, they take the penalty as well.
-3 for 5 turns Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-

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Chapter 10
-4 for 6 turns ment despite your skill in alchemy.

B linding I nternal B urning

Gas Augment Gas Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Gas This gas burns mucles of the target with every action they take.
A blinding chemical burns the eyes of everyone within the area They take damage with every action point they spend until the
of the gas, to the point where opening their eyes is painful. Those internal burning exhausts (though this is resistable).
within the blinding area suffer a -4 on accuracy and evade rolls. They may choose, however, to forgo action points - that
People may leave the area of the gas, but they remain blinded for is, if they have 3 action points for the turn, the target can wait for
a number of turns afterwards based on the marque of this gas those 3 action points, and no damage will be done.
(though this is resistable).
1 damage for 3 action points
1 turn
2 damage for 4 action points
2 turns
3 damage for 5 action points
3 turns
4 damage for 6 action points
4 turns

169
 L ingering feeds on the body to create more of itself, spreading out to affect
everything within several adjacent areas of the original victim. It
Gas Augment will continue to spread indefinitely.
Whatever you used, it stays where it was and continues to work spreads to adjacent areas
its magic. If the narrator does not roll high enough for the gas to
stay in the area, the narrator will re-roll. The narrator will do this spreads to adjacent areas within 10 feet
a number of times based on the marque of the lingering. spreads to adjacent areas within 15 feet
re-roll one time spreads to adjacent areas within 20 feet
re-roll two times
re-roll three times S lowing
re-roll four times Gas Augment
Those affected by your gas get stiff joints, feel frozen, instantly
L uminescent G as gain arthritis, or for some other reason can’t seem to move as fast
as they once did. Their speed is reduced by the specified footage
Gas Augment for three turns (though this reduction is resistable). They can
The gas coats the skin and clothes of those within its range and never go below 5 feet.
glows, causing them to have extreme difficulty hiding. Instead 5 feet speed reduction
of the normal brute resist, luminescent is resisted by dexterity.
Opponents who are already hidden are automatically forced to 10 feet speed reduction
re-roll if they fail to entirely resist the luminescence, this time 15 feet speed reduction
with the penalty.
Luminescence will naturally wash off with water, after 20 feet speed reduction
being in rain for 1 turn, or if the target can spend 12 action points
brushing it off.
S ticky
-3 on sneaking and hiding rolls
Gas Augment
-6 on sneaking and hiding rolls This chemical weapon causes the victims to become sticky, slow-
-9 on sneaking and hiding rolls ing down their reflexes. The target suffers a penalty on evade rolls
for three turns (though this penalty is resistable).
-12 on sneaking and hiding rolls
-1 on evade rolls
P aranoia -2 on evade rolls
Gas Augment -3 on evade rolls
Takes up 3 Augment Slots on the Gas -4 on evade rolls
This chemical distresses the target and causes them to see things
that aren’t there. Any affected by the paranoia must spend their S tunning
next available action point (or two, if their only attack requires
two action points) to attack the person closest to them, regardless Gas Augment
of whether they are friend or foe. The paranoia makes the attack Your targets are stunned when they get hit by this gas. They are
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Chapter 10

wild, however, and the targets suffer a penalty on their accuracy stunned for the specified action points (though this is resistable).
and strike rolls during this attack.
Instead of the normal brute resist, cunning or spirit can stunned for 1 action point
be used for the resist (at the target’s discretion). stunned for 1 action point
-3 on accuracy and strike rolls for the paranoia attack stunned for 2 action points
-2 on accuracy and strike rolls for the paranoia attack stunned for 2 action points
-1 on accuracy and strike rolls for the paranoia attack
no penalty on the accuracy or strike rolls for the para- T hick
noia attack
Gas Augment
This gas hugs the ground it’s released at. Winds in the area act as
R eplicating if they’re one tier lower when determining how long the gas lasts.
In addition, if used on board a moving vehicle, the gas will sink
Gas Augment onto the vehicle’s deck and move with the vehicle.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Gas Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
Replicating gases feed on death, spreading further out with each purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
victim it claims. Any time somebody dies in replicating gas, it ment despite your skill in alchemy.
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Crafting Medicines Aug HP
+5
Aug HP
+6
+2 +2
DIY DIY
Medicine Brewer +1 Beta Medicines +1
Alchemy Specialty Alchemy Specialty
Medicinal potions are used to restore hit points, heal wounds, Requires: 4 skill points in Alchemy & Medicine Brewer specialty
fight off poisons, and a variety of other beneficiary effects. All
While it is impossible for others to administer your medicines,
medicinal potions must be injected or ingested. they’re well worth the hassle. Your beta medicines have two more
Without spending any money, you can brew and main- slots for you to place augments into.
tain several medicines based on your current Do-It-Yourself If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
(DIY) score. These medicines can then be upgraded with aug- beta medicines, they must succeed in rolling a science result one
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your medi-
selected under “medicine augments” below. These augments have cine. If your medicine has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. Asfor them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result
your skill in Alchemy improves, your marques will increase. See of 5 with their science attribute).
the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more in-
formation. Aug HP
Each medicine can be upgraded with 3 augments. +1 +7
DIY
Sometimes an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For
example, the “heavy push” augment is worth 3 slots, so a medi-
Prototype Medicine +1
cine has 0 available slot for an augment after “heavy push” has Alchemy Specialty
been applied. Requires: 16 skill points in Alchemy, Medicine Brewer, & Beta
Number of Medicines you can Maintain z Medicine specialties
Without needing to buy chemicals, you can brew some medicines You’ve perfected your beta medicines and made them user-friend-
ly. Now anybody can use a medicine that you designate as being
entirely out of scraps. These medicines must be constantly main- a prototype.
tained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You
may build and maintain a number of medicines based on your
DIY score. You may brew new medicines or augment old ones
during any period of downtime you have. p
Medicine Augments M
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
You can build: 5 5 5 6 6 6
A ntitoxin
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 Medicine Augment
When you take an antitoxin, you gain a specified bonus against
You can build: 7 7 7 8 8 9 all poisons for the next hour. In addition, if you are currently

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z
poisoned, you may instantly reroll your resist against the poison

Chapter 10
The Cost of Medicines with the bonus against it.
If you need to brew a medicines that you can’t create for free
from your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. +3
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the +6
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment +9
can be found in the chart below.
+12
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes H eavy P ush
th
If you are brewing the augment, you pay 1/5 the price, which Medicine Augment
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. Takes up 3 Augment Slots on the Medicine
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1 While push stimulates the body to help it get over the beating it’s
augment is 8 dukes. taken, heavy push takes it to a dangerous level. The muscles rip
and the body cannot deal with the stress it’s being put under. This
causes the heavy push to deal damage to the adminstrator, but
gains action points instead. You can only use 1 extra action point
per turn, and the damage is unsoakable. Any unused extra action
171
 points will go away during your next breather. P ush - Hit Point Regain
10 backlash damage for each additional action point Medicine Augment
used, up to 2 extra action points Push is a body stimulant that allows a person a boost in stamina,
9 backlash damage for each additional action point to ignore their wounds and to take a lot more punishment before
used, up to 3 extra action points falling. Push refills a person’s hit points, though it will not go over
7 backlash damage for each additional action point their maximum.
used, up to 4 extra action points Restores 4 hit points
6 backlash damage for each additional action point Restores 8 hit points
used, up to 5 extra action points
Restores 12 hit points
Restores 16 hit points
I mproved P ush
Medicine Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Medicine
S low H eart
Requires: Push augment known Medicine Augment
Improved push takes your grandpappy’s old style push potions This potion slows the target’s heart, releases stress, and allows the
and gives them a jolt of electricity, making them push that much person to relax and breath easily. If the target chooses, they may
harder. Improved push potions return your hit points to you, ignore the calming effects of slowheart, but if they go with the
though you cannot go over your maximum. flow and slow down a little bit, their accuracy will improve. The
bonus lasts until their next breather.
restores 10 hit points
+1
restores 20 hit points
+2
restores 30 hit points
+3
restores 40 hit points
+4

L iquid S kin - Wound Healing

S timulant
Medicine Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Medicine Medicine Augment
Liquid skin instantly heals wounds damage. Healing this quickly, This stimulant is used to forego fatigue. If you are exhausted,
however, does so by infuriating the body’s natural regenerative taking a stimulant will push off the fatigue for a number of hours
system, and, made slightly wrong, can be very dangerous. When as specified by the potion’s marque. Once a stimulant has been
this is administered, the target rolls their die. If they receive a 1 used, the fatigue returns after the designated amount of time and
on the twelve-sided die, they take the healing as damage. another stimulant will have no effect until you rest.

1 wound healed 2 hours

2 wounds healed 4 hours
3 wounds healed 8 hours
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Chapter 10

4 wounds healed 24 hours

P ain R eliever S typtic

Medicine Augment Medicine Augment
Pain relieving medicines are designed to allow you to keep push- A styptic is a useful substance that, when poured on a wound,
ing on despite huge amounts of physical pain. When under the dries the blood and keeps it from bleeding. Any person that this
effects of pain killers you can ignore the wound effects 6-12 until is administered to stops bleeding and will not bleed from any
your next breather. wounds or attacks they have suffered up to this point.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
Can ignore 1 such wound effect purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in alchemy.
Can ignore 2 such wound effects
Can ignore 3 such wound effects
Can ignore 4 such wound effects

172
Crafting Poisons Aug HP
+4
+2
DIY
Poison Brewer +1 Marque I II III IV
Alchemy Specialty Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
Poisons are rarely seen as the most savory tools of war; nonethe-
less, they remain ever popular. Poisons kill, disable, and bring If you are brewing the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
great discomfort to those injected with them. is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
Poisons are always a little difficult to find, requiring a price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
tier 2 cunning result to notice. A person can always volunteer to augment is 8 dukes.
look at something to see if it is poisoned, such as trying to notice
poison on a sword or in a drink.
Poisons must either be consumed by the target or in- Aug HP
jected (as can happen on the battlefield, when a blade is coated in +2 +4
poison). The basic poison will activate within the target after the DIY
target has used 3 action points. Beta Poisons +1
Without spending any money, you can brew and main- Alchemy Specialty
tain several poisons based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Requires: 4 skill points in Alchemy & Poison Brewer specialty
score. These poisons can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll
learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected un- Your poisons are difficult to use but oh-so-effective. Your beta
der “poison augments” below. These augments have marques. At poisons have two more slots for you to place augments into.

lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
Alchemy improves, your marques will increase. See the “Crafting” beta poisons, they must succeed in rolling a science result one
page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your poi-
Each poison can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some- sons. If your poison has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible
times an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For ex- for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result
ample, the “hallucinogenic” augment is worth 2 slots, so a poisonof 5 with their science attribute).
only has 1 available slot for an augment after “hallucinogenic” has Aug HP
been applied. +1 +5
Resisting Poisons z Prototype Poisons DIY
+1
All poisons can be resisted with a brute roll. For every tier of
brute rolled above Tier 1, the marque of the poison is reduced Alchemy Specialty
by 1. Requires: 16 skill points in Alchemy, Poison Brewer, & Beta Poi-
Number of Poisons you can Maintain z
sons specialties
You’ve perfected your beta poisons and made them user-friendly.
Without needing to buy chemicals, you can brew some poisons Now anybody can use a poison that you designate as being a

Sciences
Chapter 10
entirely out of scraps. These poisons must be constantly main- prototype.
tained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You
can brew and maintain a number of poisons based on your DIY
score. You can brew new poisons or augment old ones during any
period of downtime you have.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
You can build: 3 3 3 4 4 4
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
You can build: 4 5 5 5 5 6

The Cost of Poisons z

If you need to brew a poison that you can’t create for free from
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it.
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.

173
 p Poison Augments M D isorienting
Poison Augment
A disorienting poison causes the person’s nerves to be shot, for
A nti -T oxin S uppressor them to swoon and be unable to focus. A disorienting poison dis-
Poison Augment orients the target (causing them to lose 1 action point per turn)
until the end of a specified number of turns.
Anti-toxin suppressors are built into poisons specifically to tar-
get anti-toxins. If an anti-toxin is used against a poison that has 2 turn
a suppressor brewed into it, the suppressor will entirely negate
the effects of the anti-toxin unless the anti-toxin is one marque 4 turns
higher than the suppressor. 6 turns
Negates Marque I anti-toxins 8 turns
Negates Marque II anti-toxins
Negates Marque III anti-toxins D izzying
Negates Marque IV anti-toxins Poison Augment
This poison dizzies the target, causing them to waver and fail to
walk in a straight line. While dizzied, the target’s speed is cut in
B linding half (rounded down). The dizzying effect lasts until the end of a
Poison Augment specified number of turns.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Poison 2 turns
This poison blinds the person, causing them to temporarily lose 4 turns
their eyesight. Being blind causes the target to take a -4 on ac-
curacy and evade rolls. It lasts for an amount of time based on 6 turns
the marque. 8 turns
2 turns
4 turns H allucinogenic
6 turns Poison Augment
8 turns Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Poison
A hallucinogenic poison causes the brain to spaz out and see
things that are definitely not there (or so we think). A hallucino-
C ontortion genic poison forces the target to make a cunning roll every time
Poison Augment he wants to take an action. A failure causes the target to spend
one action point moving aimlessly (at the narrator’s discretion).
Takes up 3 Augment Slots on the Poison
The target’s body siezes up and they fall to the ground, prone. Tier 2 Cunning results required to move for 1 turn
Whle prone, you suffer a -1 on all combat rolls (accuracy, evade, Tier 2 Cunning results required to make any actions for
strike, and defense) and cannot move more than 5 feet per turn. 2 turns
The target cannot willingly stand from prone until the target has
Sciences
Chapter 10

used or forgone a specified number of action points, and if some- Tier 3 Cunning results required to make any actions for
body lifts them, they immediately fall back down. 3 turns
2 action points Tier 3 Cunning results required to make any actions for
4 turns
4 action points
6 action points
8 action points
I nstant
Poison Augment
This poison now blossoms very quickly. Upon delivery being
made, it occurs instantaneously. The poison acts as soon as it is
delivered.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in alchemy.

174
I rresistible S tunning
Poison Augment Poison Augment
When a poison is made irresistible, the brute result required to The poison stuns the opponent, causing the opponent to respond
resist the poison increases. Characters must act as if their brute slowly and lose action points. The target is stunned for the speci-
roll to resist the blast was one tier lower. fied amount of action points.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the 1 action point stunned
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in alchemy. 2 action points stunned
3 action points stunned
P ainful 4 action points stunned
Poison Augment
Your poison does what poisons do best - it deals damage to their T hirst
hit points. The painful augment does straight hit point damage
(though it is resistable as per normal). Poison Augment
The poison interacts with the water in the person’s body, mak-
6 damage ing it almost impossible for the water to function normally. This
12 damage quickly dehydrates the person, causing them to lose focus. Due
to this, they take a penalty on accuracy and evade rolls until the
18 damage end of three turns.
24 damage -1 on accuracy and evade rolls
-2 on accuracy and evade rolls
P ush -B ack -3 on accuracy and evade rolls
Poison Augment -4 on accuracy and evade rolls
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Poison
Push back is a rather devious poison used specifically to counter
enemies who rely on push potions (that is, potions that restore U ndetectable
their hit points). For the hour after somebody fails to resist a poi- Poison Augment
son with push-back, any push potion they take will deal damage
to them instead of restoring their hit points. The damage dealt is When a poison is made undetectable, the cunning tier required to
equal to the amount of hit points that would have been restored, find it is increased.
but this is now resistable with your Brute.
Tier 3 Cunning result
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- Tier 3 Cunning result
ment despite your skill in alchemy. Tier 4 Cunning result
Tier 4 Cunning result
S low -A cting
Poison Augment

Sciences
Chapter 10
A slow-acting poison takes longer to occur and is therefore hard-
er to trace back to the person who administered it. Within the
scope of your marque, you determine when the effect kicks in.
You make this decision when you create the poison, and cannot
alter it thereafter.
4 hours - 1 day
3 hours - 3 days
2 hours - 1 week
1 hour - 1 month

175
 p Armsmith M
So you want to craft arms, do you? Do you have what it takes to create weapons, ar-
mor, firearms and everything else that you and your fellows will need to slay villains
and save the land? Is it in you to sweat away your days creating items of war, giving
birth to items of destruction. The armsmith skill will allow you to do just that, creat-
ing all sorts of weapons, firearms, armors, and worse. Much, much worse.

Eva HP
+2 +7
Aug
Belt Feeder +1
Armsmith Specialty
Cost: 2 AP to begin, 1 AP to continue during subsequent turns
You can feed in ammunition, allowing an adjacent gunman to
keep firing without interuption. When you begin belt feeding,
you select an adjacent ally. For that turn and every subsequent
turn that you continue belt feeding (at the cost of 1 action point
per turn), the targeted ally does not have to spend action points
to ready their firearm. This only works on firearms that have a
readying cost of 4 or less. If either you or your adjacent ally be-
come separated, you must re-begin the belt feeding.
Pri HP
+2 +5
Aug
Interchangeable Parts +2
Sciences
Chapter 10

Armsmith Specialty
Cost: 3 AP
Your weapons are designed so that their parts can be replaced
and altered in the middle of battle. This gives the weapons ad-
ditional slots for augments, but these augments are not always
active. At any time, a person can switch out the augments for 3
action points, activating one augment but deactivating another
augment. You may replace multiple augments at the same time
all for the cost of 3 action points.
This specialty works within the marque system. The
amount of interchangeable slots the weapon has depends on the
marque of its creator.
1 interchangeable slot for an augment
2 interchangeable slots for augments
3 interchangeable slots for augments
4 interchangeable slots for augments
176
 Eva HP
+1 +6
DIY
Rapid Replacements +1
attach). The temporary attachment doesn’t last long: it will stop
functioning at the beginning of end of your next turn (when your
Armsmith Specialty action points refresh).
Cost: 2 AP (to replace) or 1 AP (to fix) The weapon you are attaching the temporary augment
Your sniper’s rifle just got snapped in two, and your brawler just to does not need to have free augment slots: this is a bonus aug-
got his chain cut in half. No worries - you’re there to help. For two ment that does not fit into a weapon’s normal maximum number
action points, you can replace any broken weapon that you cre- of augments.
ated (with the same weapon) as long as the current wielder is ad- Acc HP
jacent to you. Furthermore, if a weapon’s damage class has been +1 +6
lowered for any reason, you can return it to optimum efficiency Aug
for one action point. Weapon Support +1
Aug HP Armsmith Specialty
+2 +5 Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
DIY
Temporary Attachments +1 You provide support repairs and guidance to adjacent allies on the
battlefield, tweaking their weapons as they mow down opponents.
Armsmith Specialty Any ally using a weapon that you either created or augmented
Cost: 1+ AP gains a bonus to their accuracy as long as they are adjacent to
Suddenly, in the heat of battle, your friend wants his sword to be you while in your Weapon Support stance. The bonus is +1 plus
sheathed in fire. Normally that would be insane. For you, though, an additional +1 per 4 skill points you have in Armsmith (so +2 at
that requires surprisingly little effort. You can apply an augment 4 skill points, +3 at 8 skill points, and so forth).
you know to a weapon you or an adjacent ally are wielding for If you have the Rapid Replacement specialty, an adja-
just 1 action point. If the augment takes up multiple augment cent ally’s weapon cannot be broken so long as you remain adja-
slots, it costs that many action points to attach (so an augment cent to them and in the Weapon Support stance.
that would take up 2 augment slots would cost 2 action points to

Crafting Firearms&
Crossbows Aug HP
+2 +4
DIY
Gunsmith +1 Number of Firearms you can Maintain z
Armsmith Specialty Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some fire-

Sciences
Chapter 10
You can now create new firearms and upgrade them. These fire- arms entirely out of scraps. These firearms must be constantly
arms can be of any size, type, or material. You can craft any fire- maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care.
arm from the light peashooters to the super-heavy rifles. You can build and maintain a number of firearms based on your
Without spending any money, you can build and main- DIY score. You can build new firearms or augment old ones dur-
tain several firearms based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ing any period of downtime you have.
score. These firearms can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll
learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected un- Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
der “firearm & crossbow augments” below. These augments have You can build: 2 2 3 3 3 4
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments.
As your skill in Armsmith improves, your marques will increase. Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more You can build: 4 4 5 5 5 6
information.
Each firearm can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some-
times an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For ex-
The Cost of Firearms z
ample, the “damaging” augment is worth 2 slots, so a firearm only If you need to build a firearm that you can’t build for free from
has 1 more available slot for an augment after “damaging” has your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it.
been applied. A firearm will have a base materials cost. It is 1/5th the
market price.
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the
177
 marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment example, the “damaging” augment is worth 2 slots, so a crossbow
can be found in the chart below. only has 1 more available slot for an augment after “damaging”
has been applied.
Number of Crossbows you can Maintain z
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes 3,125 princes Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some cross-
If you are building the augment, bows entirely out of scraps. These crossbows must be constantly
you pay 1/5th the price, which is maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care.
the same as if you were buying an Firearms You can build and maintain a number of crossbows based on
augment one marque lower. (As in, Light Firearm 2 princes your DIY score. You can build new crossbows or augment old
the material cost for a Marque III ones during any period of downtime you have.
augment is the market price fo a Medium Firearm 5 princes
Marque II augment.) The material Heavy Firearm 12 princes Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
cost for a Marque 1 augment is 5 Super-Heavy Firearm 20 princes
princes. You can build: 3 3 4 4 4 5
HP Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
Aug
+2 +4 You can build: 5 5 6 6 6 7
DIY
Beta Firearms +1 The Cost of Crossbows z
Armsmith Specialty If you need to build a crossbows
Requires: 4 skill points in Armsmith & Gunsmith specialty that you can’t build for free from Crossbows
your DIY score, you
Your firearms are overly complex, but they can accomplish quite buy the materials for it. will need to Light Crossbow 2 princes
a bit. Such firearms have two more slots for you to place aug-
ments into. A crossbow will have a Medium Crossbow 4 princes
th
If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your base materials cost. It is 1/5 the Heavy Crossbow 7 princes

beta firearms, they must succeed in rolling a science result one market price. Super-Heavy Crossbow 14 princes
tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your fire- Every augment will in-
arm. If your firearm has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible crease the price. The higher the marque, the greater the price.
for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result The market price for an augment can be found in the chart be-
of 5 with their science attribute). low.
Aug HP Marque I II III IV
+1 +6
DIY Market Price 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes 3,125 princes
Prototype Firearms +1 If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
Armsmith Specialty is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
Requires: 16 skill points in Armsmith, Gunsmith, & Beta Firearms (As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
specialties price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
augment is 5 princes.
You’ve perfected your beta firearms and made them user-friendly.
Now anybody can use a firearm that you designate as being a
prototype. Aug HP
HP +2 +4
Aug DIY
Sciences
Chapter 10

+2
DIY
+4 Beta Crossbows +1
Crossbow Craftsman +1 Armsmith Specialty
Armsmith Specialty Requires: 4 skill points in Armsmith & Crossbow Crafter specialty
You can now create new crossbows and upgrade them. These Your crossbows are overly complex, but they can accomplish
crossbows can be of any size, type, or material. You can craft quite a bit. Such crossbows have two more slots for you to place
any crossbow from the light hand-crossbow to the super-heavy augments into.
ballistas. If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
Without spending any money, you can build and main- beta crossbows, they must succeed in rolling a science result one
tain several crossbows based on your current Do-It-Yourself tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your cross-
(DIY) score. These crossbows can then be upgraded with aug- bow. If your crossbow has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result
be selected under “firearm & crossbow augments” below. These of 5 with their science attribute).
augments have marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque
I augments. As your skill in Armsmith improves, your marques
will increase. See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this
chapter for more information.
Each crossbow can be upgraded with 3 augments.
Sometimes an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For
178
 Aug HP
+1 +6
DIY
Prototype Crossbows +1 1 category smaller
Armsmith Specialty 2 categories smaller
Requires: 16 skill points in Armsmith, Crossbow Crafter, & Beta 3 categories smaller
Crossbows specialties 4 categories smaller
You’ve perfected your beta crossbows and made them user-
friendly. Now anybody can use a crossbow that you designate as
being a prototype. C rank -F ree
p Firearm & Crossbow Augments M
Firearm Augment
Requires: Augmented with Rotating Barrels
Converting your firearm to be truly automatic, the crank-free
firearm no longer increases the need of hands - a one-handed
A ccurate firearm is still one-handed, and a two-handed firearm is still just
Firearm & Crossbow Augment two-handed.
Fine attention has been placed on the quality of your weapon. Note : This augment always acts as marque II for the
The user gains a bonus to accuracy with the weapon. purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in armsmith.
+1
+2 C ustom
+3
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
+4 This weapon was designed to be used by one person and one
person only. That person must be designated at the time of the
weapon’s crafting. If anybody else attempts to use the custom
A utomatic R eload weapon, they suffer a penalty on all accuracy and strike rolls with
Firearm & Crossbow Augment it.
The crossbow or firearm has a fast reloading mechanism, allow- -3
ing it to be reloaded much more quickly than normal.
-6
1 less AP to reload -9
1 less AP to reload -12
2 less AP to reload
2 less AP to reload D amaging
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
B ipod Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Firearm or Crossbow
Firearm & Crossbow Augment Your weapon is larger but lighter, dealing extra damage with each
You can set up a bipod to level your weapon on. Setting up the shot.
bipod requires 2 action points, and then pulling it back up so that

Sciences
+1 damage class

Chapter 10
you can move again requires 1 action point. While the bipod is set
up, however, you gain a bonus on your accuracy. +2 damage class
+1 +3 damage class
+2 +4 damage class
+3
+4 D eflecting
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
C ollapsible You can use this weapon like a shield, allowing you to deflect in-
coming attacks (gaining a +4 to evade in exchange for 1 reflexive
Firearm & Crossbow Augment action point).
Sometimes discretion is the better part of not having your weap- Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
onry confiscated, so you create a clever collapsing mechanism for purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
your weapons which makes them easier to conceal. Any weapon ment despite your skill in armsmith.
this is applied to can be broken down for 3 acion points and re-as-
sembled for 3 action points. It is treated, for purposes of conceal-
ment, as being smaller than it is, but only when broken down.

179
 D elivery L ocation S eeking
Crossbow Augment Firearm & Crossbow Augment
You can launch an alchemic potion, explosives, or other items When crafting this weapon designate a called shot. The weapon
through your firearm. If the item shot is friendly (as in, you’re seems to guide itself toward that specific called on your victim’s
not trying to hit the target), you may shoot the item next to them, body with the greatest of ease. Called shots to the designated
and they may pick it up for 1 action point. Regardless, a delivery location do not require an additional action point when made
weapon’s range is cut be a small portion whenever it is being used with this weapon. However, attacking any other called shot loca-
to deliver an item. tion with this weapon can be problematic, as it was built with one
cause in mind. (This penalty does not apply to normal, unspeci-
-75 feet fied attacks.)
-50 feet -8 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called
-25 feet shot location
no penalty -6 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called
shot location
-4 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called
E asily A ltered shot location
Firearm & Crossbow Augment -2 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called
Requires: Weapon to be made with Interchangeable Parts shot location
The weapon is easily altered, allowing its interchangeable parts Note: When crafting the augment, the word “location” should be
to be used and switched around much more quickly than nor- replaced with the specified called shot, such as “eye seeking” or
mal. The easily altered augment is a permanent affixture of the “torso seeking.”
weapon, however, and cannot be activated or deactivated with in-
terchangeable parts.
2 AP to interchange parts
L uminous
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
2 AP to interchange parts
Your weapon glows. Perhaps you strung lights along its barrel,
1 AP to interchange parts gave it a glow-in-the-dark coating, or made your weapon trans-
1 AP to interchange parts parent with a light set inside. The light extends outwards from
your weapon a number of feet determined by the marque of this
augment. For 1 action point, you may turn it on, off, or dim it.
G nome -S ized 25 feet
Firearm & Crossbow Augment 50 feet
Requires: placed on light weapon 100 feet
You’ve been able to shrink the weapon down so that a gnome will
be able to conceal it. 200 feet
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- R einforced
ment despite your skill in armsmith.
Sciences

Firearm & Crossbow Augment

Chapter 10

You build your weapon solidly, giving it little room to break on

H orrifying the battlefield. When somebody attempts to sunder the reinforced
Firearm & Crossbow Augment weapon, it acts as if it is several size categories larger than it is.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Firearm or Crossbow Once these “reinforced” size categories are gone, then its actual
damage begins to decrease.
The weapon is so twisted and wicked looking that it could strike
fear into the heart of even the bravest of warriors. When first stacking. This augment can be applied multiple times, its effect
seeing the weapon, all enemies must make a spirit resist or suffer
from tier 1 fear. At any time a character can spend an action point 1 reinforced size category
to attempt another resist roll. A single person can only evoke the
effect of one horrifying weapon per combat. 2 reinforced size categories
Tier 2 spirit result to resist 3 reinforced size categories
Tier 3 spirit result to resist 4 reinforced size categories
Tier 4 spirit result to resist
Irresistable (unless they can get a Tier 5 spirit resist)

180
R otating B arrels Tier 4
Firearm Augment Impossible (or Tier 5)
Creating what comes close to being a fully automatic weapon,
a firearm with multiple rotating barrels uses a crank to fire. Us-
ing rotating barrels increases the need of hands - a one-handed S mall C hoke
firearm now requires two hands, and a two-handed firearm now Firearm & Crossbow Augment
requires you to be in a “firing position.” A rotating multi-barrel Introducing a small choke to a shotgun increases the effective
firearm eliminates the reload time of the firearm, but at a price distance of its shot. A small choke doubles the range of the shot
to accuracy. fired from it. Other choices of ammunition fired from a small
This augment can only be placed on firearms that use choke suffer a -3 accuracy.
ammunition and have a reload time of 2 action points or less. Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
-5 accuracy purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in armsmith.
-3 accuracy
-1 accuracy
No accuracy penalty
p Firearm & Crossbow Accessories M
You can learn weapon accessories just like augments. However,
firearm & crossbow accessories do not take up any augment slots
S cope and can only be applied to a weapon once. Each accessory has its
own cost associated with it.
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
The range on your firearm increases greatly. This augment can be C hained -G rip
applied multiple times, with its increases stacking. Firearm & Crossbow Accessory
+50 feet The user keeps a chain attached to both their wrist and the weap-
on, making it difficult - if not impossible - to be disarmed. When-
+100 feet ever the target of a disarm (called shot to the hand), the user
+200 feet gains a bonus to the resist roll.
+300 feet +2 to resist being disarmed
+4 to resist being disarmed
S ignature W eapon +6 to resist being disarmed
Firearm & Crossbow Augment +8 to resist being disarmed
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Firearm or Crossbow
Requires: placed on weapon with Custom augment Marque I II III IV
Be it a family heirloom or just your perfectly customized weapon, Market Price 10 princes 50 princes 250 princes 1,250 princes
the very sight of it invigorate you. As long as your weapon is in
hand there is still hope. You recover a small amount of hit points
when your action points refresh. This augment only affects the
person this weapon was customized for.

Sciences
Chapter 10
recover 1 hit point
recover 2 hit points
recover 3 hit points
recover 4 hit points

S ilent
Firearm & Crossbow Augment
This weapon is whispering death. It makes almost no sound when
shot or reloaded, making it almost impossible for people to figure
out where it is by sound alone. Any time anybody is attempting to
figure out where the weapon was shot from based on sound must
make a tier result with their cunning.
Tier 2
Tier 3

181
 Crafting Melee
Weapons & Throwing Weapons Aug HP
+2 +4
DIY
Weapon Smith +1
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
Armsmith Specialty
You can create new melee weapons and throwing weapons and Marque I II III IV
upgrade them. These weapons can be of any size, type, or mate- Market Price 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes 3,125 princes
rial. You can craft anything from a metal stiletto to a wooden pike
to a sword made from bone. If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
Without spending any money, you can build and main- (As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
tain several weapons based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
score. These weapons can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll augment is 5 princes.
learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected un-
der “weapon augments” below. These augments have marques. At Aug HP
lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in +2 +4
Armsmith improves, your marques will increase. See the “Craft- DIY
ing” page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. Beta Weapons +1
Each weapon can be Armsmith Specialty
upgraded with 3 augments.
Some materials can only be
Weapons Requires: 4 skill points in Armsmith & Weaponsmith specialty
upgraded twice (like wooden Light Melee Weapon 1 princes Your weapons are overly complex, but they can accomplish quite
weapons) or just once (like Medium Melee Weapon 7 princes a bit. Such weapons can be upgraded with 2 more augments
organic ones). Sometimes an Heavy Melee Weapon 15 princes
(bringing the total for metal melee weapons up to 5 augmentable
augment will take up multiple One-Handed Polearm slots).
5 princes
augment slots. For example, If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
the “damaging” augment is Two-Handed Polearm 12 princes beta weapons, they must succeed in rolling a sciences result one
worth 2 slots, so a weapon only Basic Non-Rigid Weapon 1 princes tier higher than the highest marque you have on your weapon. If
has 1 more available slot for an Larger Non-Rigid Weapon 4 princes your weapon has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them
augment after “damaging” has to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with
been applied. their sciences attribute).
Number of Weapons you can Maintain z Aug HP
+5
+1
Sciences

Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some weap-
Chapter 10

DIY
ons entirely out of scraps. These weapons must be constantly
maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care.
Prototype Weapons +1
You may build and maintain a number of weapons based on your Armsmith Specialty
DIY score. You may build new weapons or augment old ones dur- Requires: 16 skill points in Armsmith, Weapon Smith, & Beta
ing any period of downtime you have. Weapons specialties
You’ve perfected your beta weapons and made them user-friendly.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Now anybody can use a weapon that you designate as being a
You can build: 2 2 3 3 3 4 prototype.
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pri HP
+2 +5
You can build: 4 4 5 5 5 6 Aug
Interchangeable Parts
z
+1
The Cost of Weapons Armsmith Specialty
If you need to build a weapon that you can’t build for free from
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. Requires: Weapon Smith specialty
A weapon will have a base materials cost. It is 1/5th the Cost: 3 AP
market price. Your weapons are designed so that their parts can be replaced
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the and altered in the middle of battle. This gives the weapons ad-
182
ditional slots for augments, but these augments are not always may spend 1 action point (as many times as you have AP left in
active. At any time, a person may switch out the augments for 3 your turn) to deal additional unsoakable damage as the chainsaw
action points, activating one augment but deactivating another continues to rip into the person.
augment. You may replace multiple augments at the same time
all for the cost of 3 action points. 1 extra damage
This specialty works within the marque system. The 2 extra damage
amount of interchangeable slots the weapon has depends on the
marque of its creator. 3 extra damage
4 extra damage
1 interchangeable slot for an augment
2 interchangeable slots for augments
3 interchangeable slots for augments
C ollapsible
Weapon Augment
4 interchangeable slots for augments
Sometimes discretion is the better part of not having your weap-

M
onry confiscated, so you create a clever collapsing mechanism for
p Weapon Augments your weapons which makes them easier to conceal. Any weapon
this is applied to can be broken down for 3 acion points and re-as-
sembled for 3 action points. It is treated, for purposes of conceal-
A ccurate ment, as being smaller than it is, but only when broken down.
Weapon Augment 1 category smaller
Fine attention has been placed on the quality of your weapon. 2 categories smaller
The user gains a bonus to accuracy with the weapon. 3 categories smaller
+1 4 categories smaller
+2
+3 C ryothermal
+4 Weapon Augment
Resist: Brute (marques down)
A erodynamic Cost: 1 AP reflexively during an attack
Weapon Augment Your weapon leaks a subzero liquid that freezes the opponent
upon contact. When you make an attack with a cryothermal weap-
You can make your melee weapons into perfectly good throw- on, you may spend 1 action point to make the target frosty. Unless
ing weapons. If you apply this augment onto one of your melee your victim can resist the entire effect, they become chilled, mak-
weapons, you may throw it like a weapon designed for throwing. ing them shiver when they attack.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- Victim suffers a -2 on strike rolls until your next turn
ment despite your skill in armsmith. Victim suffers a -4 on strike rolls until your next turn
Victim suffers a -6 on strike rolls until your next turn
B one -S hattering Victim suffers a -8 on strike rolls until your next turn

Sciences
Chapter 10
Weapon Augment
By increasing the weapon’s density, the weapon allows its wielder C ustom
to make more effective called shots against his victims.
Weapon Augment
+1 strike against all called shot locations This weapon was designed to be used by one person and one
+3 strike against all called shot locations person only. That person must be designated at the time of the
+5 strike against all called shot locations weapon’s crafting. If anybody else attempts to use the custom
weapon, they suffer a penalty on all accuracy and strike rolls with
+7 strike against all called shot locations it.
-3
C hainsaw -6
Weapon Augment -9
Requires: placed on a melee weapon -12
Cost: 1 AP (after a successful attack)
Your weapon has a deadly, barbed spinning edge. If you make a
successful attack with a chainsaw weapon that deals damage, you
183
 P yrothermal
Weapon Augment D amaging
Resist: Brute (marques down) Weapon Augment
Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively during an attack Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
Your weapon heats up, burning the target. When you attack, Your weapon is larger but lighter, dealing extra damage with each
you may spend 1 action point to make it pyrothermal. If it hits, blow.
the attack burns its target should they fail to resist against your
melee attack. These burns last until the victim’s next breather, +1 damage class
when they can be treated. +2 damage class
Victim suffers Tier 1 burns (-1 on defense rolls) +3 damage class
Victim suffers Tier 2 burns (-3 on defense rolls) +4 damage class
Victim suffers Tier 3 burns (-5 on defense rolls)
Victim suffers Tier 4 burns (-7 on defense rolls) D eflecting
Weapon Augment
C ombustion You may use this weapon like a shield, allowing you to deflect in-
coming attacks (gaining a +4 to evade in exchange for 1 reflexive
Weapon Augment action point).
Takes up 3 Augment Slots on a Weapon Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the
Resist: Dexterity (marques down) purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively during an attack ment despite your skill in armsmith.
Fire lashes out around your weapon, catching those struck with
it on fire. When you hit an opponent, you can spend 1 action
point in order to attempt to catch them on fire. The target E asily A ltered
may resist with their dexterity (lowering the marques of the Weapon Augment
combustion).
Requires: weapon to be made with Interchangeable Parts
The victim catches on Tier 1 fire The weapon is easily altered, allowing its interchangeable parts
The victim catches on Tier 2 fire to be used and switched around much more quickly than nor-
mal. The easily altered augment is a permanent affixture of the
The victim catches on Tier 2 fire weapon, however, and cannot be activated or deactivated with in-
The victim catches on Tier 3 fire terchangeable parts.
2 AP to interchange parts
B urn T rail 2 AP to interchange parts
Weapon Augment 1 AP to interchange parts
Requires: placed on weapon with the Combustion augment 1 AP to interchange parts
Any person attempting to physically aid a victim of your
combustion must first make a dexterity resist that equals the
marque of your Combusion augment or be set on fire them- E lectrical
Sciences
Chapter 10

selves. Weapon Augment

Note: This augment always acts as marque III for A small metal coil runs down the length of your weapon, leading
the purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this to a power source that electrifies it. After landing a hit, your victim
augment despite your skill in armsmith. is shocked for a small amount of unsoakable damage. If the op-
ponent is in metal armor or submersed in water, they take twice
the damage. (If they are both in water and metal armor, they take
E verburning four times the damage.)
Weapon Augment 1 unsoakable electrical damage
Requires: placed on weapon with the Combustion augment
2 unsoakable electrical damage
Despite your victim’s best efforts to put themselves out, they
seem to continue burning. When catching things on fire 3 unsoakable electrical damage
through the use of a combustion attack, extra action points are 4 unsoakable electrical damage
required to put out the fire.
1 extra AP
2 extra AP
3 extra AP
4 extra AP
184
E lectrical A rchs Tier 2 spirit result to resist
Weapon Augment Tier 3 spirit result to resist
Requires: placed on weapon with the Electrical augment Tier 4 spirit result to resist
The electricity that runs down your blade now jumps about, hit- Irresistable (unless they can get a Tier 5 spirit resist)
ting multiple victims. Once you’ve hit an opponent, the electricity
will arch to another opponent within 10 feet. Roll your accuracy
versus their evade. If you meet or exceed it, the second opponent I nspiring
will be hit by the arch (dealing the normal damage for your elec-
tricity). The electricity will arch a number of times based on the Weapon Augment
marque of the augment. If, at any point, you miss a target, the Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
electricity will not continue to jump.
This weapon is symbolic to your allies, inspiring them to fight on-
Electricity jumps once wards when it’s in your hand. All allies that can see your weapon
recover a small amount of hit points when you’re wielding it and
Electricity jumps twice your action points refresh. This does not stack with other inspir-
Electricity jumps thrice ing weapons.
Electricity jumps quatrice allies recover 1 hit point
allies recover 2 hit points
G as L eaks allies recover 2 hit points
Weapon Augment allies recover 3 hit points
Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively during an attack
Your weapon is hollow and covered in pores. You can fill your J ackhammer
weapon with deadly gases that you release when you hit your
opponent. You may choose to release multiple gases at the same Weapon Augment
time, but each one costs 1 action point. The augment’s marque Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
determines how many gases it can hold. It costs 3 action points
to add refill a single canister of gas. A small, unbalanced sphere spins in the hilt of the weapon, caus-
ing it to vibrate wildly. This allows the weapon to deal tremen-
Holds up to 1 dose dous damage to machines, vehicles with moving parts, and sta-
tionary structures.
Holds up to 2 doses
Holds up to 3 doses +2 damage class against automatons, vehicles, clock-
works, and structures
Holds up to 4 doses +4 damage class against automatons, vehicles, clock-
Note: Unless you have doses of alchemical gas loaded into the works, and structures
weapon, this augment grants no bonuses. See Alchemy for the
crafting of gases. +6 damage class against automatons, vehicles, clock-
works, and structures
+8 damage class against automatons, vehicles, clock-
G nome -S ized works, and structures
Weapon Augment

Sciences
Chapter 10
Requires: placed on light weapon L ightning P ulsing
You’ve been able to shrink the weapon down so that a gnome will
be able to conceal it. Weapon Augment
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- Cost to Activate and Deactivate: 1 AP
ment despite your skill in armsmith. Your weapon pulses with lightning, just looking for a target to
vaporize. Lightning is a powerful force that is hard to control. It
causes the user to take a penalty on their accuracy roll, but the
H orrifying attack is unsoakable if the opponent is wet or in metal armor. The
Weapon Augment lightning pulse can be turned on or turned off for 1 action point.
While it is on, the penalty is always in effect.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
The weapon is so twisted and wicked looking that it could strike -8 on the accuracy roll
fear into the heart of even the bravest of warriors. When first -6 on the accuracy roll
seeing the weapon, all enemies must make a spirit resist or suffer
from tier 1 fear. At anytime, a character may spend an action point -4 on the accuracy roll
to attempt another resist roll. A single person can only evoke the -2 on the accuracy roll
effect of one horrifying weapon per combat.

185
 L ocation S eeking P owerful
Weapon Augment Weapon Augment
When crafting this weapon designate a called shot. The weapon Your weapon is stronger than others, be it due to a sharper blade,
seems to guide itself toward that specific called shot on your large striking side, or a heftier head. Regardless, it gives the user
victim’s body with the greatest of ease. Called shots to the des- a bonus on their strike rolls.
ignated location do not require an additional action point when
made with this weapon. However, attacking any other called shot +2 on strike
location with this weapon can be problematic, as it was built with +4 on strike
one cause in mind. (This penalty does not apply to normal, un-
specified attacks.) +6 on strike
-8 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called +8 on strike
shot location
-6 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called P ropelled
shot location
Weapon Augment
-4 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called Requires: placed on throwing weapons
shot location
The weapon sails through the air, being easy to throw and going
-2 on accuracy rolls when attacking a different called much further than its mundane counterparts. An easily thrown
shot location weapon has a farther range.
Note: When crafting the augment, the word “location” should be
replaced with the specified called shot, such as “eye seeking” or +20 feet
“torso seeking.” +30 feet
+40 feet
L ong A rchs +60 feet
Weapon Augment
Requires: placed on a weapon with Electrical Archs augment R each
Generally, electrical archs will jump from one target to another at
a very small distance. The electricity will simply fizzle out if it Weapon Augment
goes too far. But with longer archs, your weapon’s electricity will You extend the weapon so that it can reach further.
take great leaps across the battlefield.
5 feet further
Can arch up to 25 feet 5 feet further
Can arch up to 50 feet 10 feet further
Can arch up to 75 feet 10 feet further
Can arch up to 100 feet
R einforced
L uminous Weapon Augment
Sciences
Chapter 10

Weapon Augment You build your weapon solidly, giving it little room to break on
Your weapon glows. Perhaps you strung lights along its blade, the battlefield. When somebody attempts to sunder the reinforced
gave it a glow-in-the-dark coating, or made your weapon trans- weapon, it acts as if it is several size categories larger than it is.
parent with a light set inside. The light extends outwards from Once these “reinforced” size categories are gone, then its actual
your weapon a number of feet determined by the marque of this damage begins to decrease.
augment. For 1 action point, you may turn it on, off, or dim it.
1 reinforced size category
25 feet 2 reinforced size categories
50 feet 3 reinforced size categories
100 feet 4 reinforced size categories
200 feet

186
R eturning S pecialized
Weapon Augment Weapon Augment
Requires: placed on throwing weapon Requires: placed on weapon with Custom augment
You can throw your weapon, and it will return to you. Due to this, Be it from pressurized spikes in its grip or an unearthly balance,
the range you can throw it is decreased, but you will always have when a person attempts to wield the weapon, it causes them
the weapon on hand. harm. The person the weapon was customized for is immune to
this effect.
-30 feet
-20 feet The weapon causes its user 2 unsoakable damage with
each use
-10 feet The weapon causes its user 4 unsoakable damage with
no ranged penalty each use
The weapon causes its user 6 unsoakable damage with
each use
S ignature W eapon
The weapon causes its user 8 unsoakable damage with
Weapon Augment each use
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Weapon
Requires: placed on weapon with Custom augment
Be it a family heirloom or just your perfectly customized weapon, S tatic
the very sight of it invigorate you. As long as your weapon is in Weapon Augment
hand there is still hope. You recover a small amount of hit points Resist: Brute (marques down)
when your action points refresh. This augment only affects the
person this blade was customized for. Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively
You can make sparks fly off your weapon as you bring it in to
recover 1 hit point decimate your foe. For 1 action point, you can make your attack
recover 2 hit points full of static, causing the target to lose their ability to react as
quickly. Meanwhile, their hair also stands on end.
recover 3 hit points
Victim suffers a -1 on evade rolls until your next turn
recover 4 hit points
Victim suffers a -2 on evade rolls until your next turn
Victim suffers a -3 on evade rolls until your next turn
S kullsmasher
Victim suffers a -4 on evade rolls until your next turn
Weapon Augment
This weapon has a specially weighted spike designed to cause
severe brain trauma when striking against an opponent’s head S treamlined
or eyes.
Weapon Augment
+2 strike when making a called shot to the head or eyes Takes up 3 Augment Slots on a Weapon
+4 strike when making a called shot to the head or eyes Requires: placed on light or medium weapon
+6 strike when making a called shot to the head or eyes Made of only the lightest and highest quality parts, this weapon

Sciences
Chapter 10
has feels lighter then air. All attacks made with this weapon cost
+8 strike when making a called shot to the head or eyes 1 action point.
-3 damage class
-2 damage class
-1 damage class
no damage class penalty

187
 T angling p Weapon Accessories M
Weapon Augment You can learn weapon accessories just like augments. However,
Requires: placed on flexible weapon weapon accessories do not take up any augment slots and can
The whip is specially designed to make grabs against the op- only be applied to a weapon once. Each weapon accessory has
ponent. Whenever used, the whip gains a bonus on all rolls to its own cost associated with it.
prevent the target from resisting the grab.
+2 A lchemic T ube
+4 Weapon Accessory
+6 The weapon has a container attached to it and a rivet or channel
that allows the weapon to strike with poison or another alchemical
+8 substance. The container can hold one usage of the substance.
After its use, it takes some action points to snap a new alchemical
substance into.
3 AP
2 AP
1 AP
1 AP reflexively

Marque I II III IV
Market Price 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes 1,875 princes

C hained -G rip
Weapon Accessory
The user keeps a chain attached to both their wrist and the weap-
on, making it difficult - if not impossible - to be disarmed. When-
ever the target of a disarm (called shot to the hand), the user
gains a bonus to the resist roll.
+2 to resist being disarmed
+4 to resist being disarmed
+6 to resist being disarmed
+8 to resist being disarmed

Marque I II III IV
Sciences

Market Price 10 princes 50 princes 250 princes 1,250 princes

Chapter 10

188
Crafting Bows
Aug HP Aug HP
+2 +4 +2 +4
DIY DIY
Bowyer +1 Beta Bows +1
Armsmith Specialty Armsmith Specialty
You can now create new bows of any size and upgrade them. Requires: 4 skill points in Armsmith & Bowyer specialty
Without spending any money, you can build and main- Your bows are surprisingly complex, but they can do a lot more
tain several bows based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) than standard bows. Such bows can be upgraded with 2 more
score. These bows can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll augments (bringing the total for metal bow up to 5 augmentable
learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected under slots).
“bow augments” below. These augments have marques. At lower If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in Arm- beta bows, they must succeed in rolling a sciences result one tier
smith improves, your marques will increase. See the “Crafting” higher than the highest marque you have on your bow. If your
page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. bow has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them to use it
Each bow can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some ma- (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with their sci-
terials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden bows) or just ences attribute).
once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take up HP
multiple augment slots. For example, the “damaging” augment is Aug
worth 2 slots, so a metal bow only has 1 more available slot for an +1 +4
DIY
augment after “damaging” has been applied. Prototype Bows +1
Number of Bows you can Maintain z Armsmith Specialty
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can carve some bows Requires: 16 skill points in Armsmith, Bowyer, & Beta Bows spe-
entirely out of scraps. These bows must be constantly maintained cialties
by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You may
build and maintain a number of bows based on your DIY score. You’ve perfected your beta bows and made them user-friendly.
You may build new bows or augment old ones during any period Now anybody can use a bow that you designate as being a pro-
of downtime you have. totype.

Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 p Bow Augments M

You can build: 2 2 3 3 3 4
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 A ccurate
You can build: 4 4 5 5 5 6
Bow Augment
The Cost of Bows z Fine attention has been placed on the quality of your bow. The

Sciences
Chapter 10
user gains a bonus to accuracy with the bow.
If you need to build a bow that you can’t build for free from your
DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. +1
A bow will have a base mate- +2
rials cost. It is 1/5th the market price. Bows
Every augment will increase Light Bows 5 dukes +3
the price. The higher the marque, the Medium Bows 1 prince +4
greater the price. The market price for
an augment can be found in the chart Heavy Bows 5 princes
below. Super-Heavy Bows 17 princes C ollapsible
Marque I II III IV Bow Augment
Market Price 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes 3,125 princes Sometimes discretion is the better part of not having your weap-
onry confiscated, so you create a clever collapsing mechanism
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which for your bows which makes them easier to conceal. Any bow this
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. is applied to can be broken down for 3 acion points and re-as-
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market sembled for 3 action points. It is treated, for purposes of conceal-
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1 ment, as being smaller than it is, but only when broken down.
augment is 5 princes.

189
 1 category smaller E asily A ltered
2 categories smaller Bow Augment
3 categories smaller Requires: Weapon to be made with Interchangeable Parts
4 categories smaller The weapon is easily altered, allowing its interchangeable parts
to be used and switched around much more quickly than nor-
mal. The easily altered augment is a permanent affixture of the
C ustom weapon, however, and cannot be activated or deactivated with in-
terchangeable parts.
Bow Augment
This bow was designed to be used by one person and one person 2 AP to interchange parts
only. That person must be designated at the time of the bow’s 2 AP to interchange parts
crafting. If anybody else attempts to use the custom bow, they 1 AP to interchange parts
suffer a penalty on all accuracy and strike rolls with it.
1 AP to interchange parts
-3
-6
-9
P owerful
Bow Augment
-12
Your weapon has a greater pull than others, giving the user a bo-
nus on their strike rolls.
D amaging +2 on strike
Bow Augment +4 on strike
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Bow +6 on strike
Your bow is larger but lighter, dealing extra damage with each
blow. +8 on strike
+1 damage class
+2 damage class Q uickened A rrows
+3 damage class Bow Augment
Your bow fires arrows faster and more forcefully than most, mak-
+4 damage class ing them have a more powerful knockback effect. Whenever your
bow is used to make a called shot against a target’s torso, it gets a
bonus to strike just for the called shot effect. The bonus does not
G round -M ount affect the damage tier of the attack
Bow Augment +2 to Strike for Torso called shots
You can set up your bow on the ground, using the earth to steady
your shot. Setting up the bow requires 2 action points, and then +4 to Strike for Torso called shots
pulling it back up so that you can move again requires 1 action +6 to Strike for Torso called shots
point. While the bow is set in place, however, you gain a bonus
+10 to Strike for Torso called shots
Sciences

on your accuracy.
Chapter 10

+1
+2 R einforced
+3 Bow Augment
You build your bow solidly, giving it little room to break on the
+4 battlefield. Whenever somebody attempts to sunder the reinforced
bow, it acts as if it is several size categories larger than it is. Once
these “reinforced” size categories are gone, then its actual dam-
D eflecting age begins to decrease.
Bow Augment 1 reinforced size category
You can use this bow like a shield, allowing you to deflect incom-
ing attacks (gaining a +4 to evade in exchange for 1 reflexive 2 reinforced size categories
action point). 3 reinforced size categories
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the 4 reinforced size categories
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
ment despite your skill in armsmith.

190
S cope C ombustion
Bow Augment Bow Augment
The range on your bow increases greatly, improving the range Takes up 3 Augment Slots on a Bow
that the bow can accurate hit a target within. Resist: Dexterity (marques down)
+50 feet Cost to Activate: Attack +1 AP
+100 feet Fire lashes out from your bow, allowing you to set your ar-
rows on fire. You can use this to attempt to set your enemy
+200 feet aflame. The target may resist with their dexterity (lowering the
+300 feet marques of the combustion).
The victim catches on Tier 1 fire
S ilent The victim catches on Tier 2 fire
Bow Augment The victim catches on Tier 2 fire
This bow is whispering death. It makes almost no sound when an The victim catches on Tier 3 fire
arrow is notched or fired from it, making it almost impossible for
people to figure out where it is by sound alone. Any time anybody
is attempting to figure out where the bow was shot from based on B urn T rail
sound must make a tier result with their cunning.
Bow Augment
Tier 2 Requires: placed on bow with the Combustion augment
Tier 3 Any person attempting to physically aid a victim of your
combustion must first make a dexterity resist that equals the
Tier 4 marque of your Combusion augment or be set on fire them-
Impossible (or Tier 5) selves.
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for
the purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this
V ersatile augment despite your skill in armsmith.
Bow Augment
Your bow is also an effective melee weapon. You can make at-
tacks against adjacent opponents for 2 action points, although
E verburning
your damage class is at a -1 when doing so. Bow Augment
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the Requires: placed on bow with the Combustion augment
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- Despite your victim’s best efforts to put themselves out, they
ment despite your skill in armsmith. seem to continue burning. When catching things on fire
through the use of a combustion attack, extra action points are
required to put out the fire.
1 extra AP
2 extra AP

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Chapter 10
3 extra AP
4 extra AP

191
 Crafting Armor
Aug HP
+2 +5
DIY
Armor Smith +1
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
Armsmith Specialty augment is 4 princes.
You can now create armor and upgrade it. You can upgrade any Aug HP
type of armor. +2 +5
Without spending any money, you can build and main- DIY
tain several suits of armor based on your current Do-It-Yourself Beta Armor +1
(DIY) score. These armors can then be upgraded with augments. Armsmith Specialty
You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be selected
under “armor augments” below. These augments have marques. Requires: 4 skill points in Armsmith & Armor Smith specialty
At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill Your armor comes with a lot of weird straps and oddly placed
in Armsmith improves, your marques will increase. See the “Craft- component, but their efficiency is unbreakable. Such armors have
ing” page at the beginning of this chapter for more information. two more slots for you to place augments into.
Each armor can be upgraded If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
with 3 augments. Some materials can Armor beta armors, they must succeed in rolling a science result one tier
only be upgraded twice (like wooden higher than the highest level marque you have on your armor. If
armors) or just once (like organic ar- Minimal 1 princes your armor has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them
mors). Sometimes an augment will take Light 5 princes to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with
up multiple augment slots. For example, Medium 15 princes their science attribute).
the “damage soaking” augment is worth Heavy HP
2 slots, so a metal suit of armor only has 40 princes Aug
+1 +6
1 more available slot for an augment after Super-Heavy 75 princes
DIY
“damage soaking” has been applied. Prototype Armor +1
Number of Armors you can Maintain z Armsmith Specialty
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some ar- Requires: 16 skill points in Armsmith, Armor Smith, & Beta Ar-
mor entirely out of scraps. These armors must be constantly mor specialty
maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You’ve perfected your beta armor and made them user-friendly.
You may build and maintain a number of armors based on your Now, any of your beta armors that you designate as being proto-
DIY score. You may build new armors or augment old ones dur- types, anybody can use.
ing any period of downtime you have.
Your DIY:
You can build:
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
2
5
2
6
2
p Armor & Shield Augments M
Sciences
Chapter 10

Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
You can build: 2 3 3 3 3 4
A irmelting
Armor Augment
The Cost of Armors z Activation Cost: 1 AP
If you need to build a suit of armor that you can’t build for free The armor has numerous exhausts, heat valves, and pipes on
from your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. it that, when released, super-heat the air around the wearer. If
Armor will have a base materials cost. It is 1/5 the mar- you’re wearing this armor and spend 1 action point to release the
th

ket price. exhausts, it heats the air around you. Everyone within 5 feet of
you takes heat damage, and you take half that amount (unless
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the you have fireproofing).
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below. 2 damage
Marque I II III IV 4 damage
Market Price 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes 2500 princes 6 damage
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which 8 damage
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.

192
B racings D amage S oaking
Armor Augment Armor Augment
The armor is braced to prevent you from ever falling prone. Un- Takes up 2 Augment Slots on Armor
less you choose to undo the bracings (an action that costs 1 action Your armor is so thick that it soaks more damage than normal.
point), there is no way the wearer of this armor can go prone.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the +1 damage soak class
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug- +2 damage soak class
ment despite your skill in armsmith.
+3 damage soak class
+4 damage soak class
B ulletproofing
Armor Augment
The armor is designed to take bullets. Whenever being shot by a
D efensive
firearm, the wearer gains a bonus on their defense roll. Armor Augment
+2 defense This armor is heavier, with more shock-absorbant plating and
less spots for enemy blade’s to find cleavage. This armor provides
+4 defense a bonus to the wearer’s defense.
+6 defense +2 defense
+8 defense +4 defense
+6 defense
C amouflage +8 defense
Armor Augment
The armor has been painted, ruffled, and tarnishes added to al- E lectro -A bsorption
low it to blend in more efficiently in natural terrains. When in the
uncivilized outdoors, this armor grants a bonus to cunning rolls Armor Augment
when attempting to hide. The armor re-routes electricity through it and into specially cre-
+2 ated devices that absorb the shock. Anything that deals electricity
damage is not entirely soakable, and attacks that deal electricity
+4 damage (even if they are only partially electrical, such as attacks
+6 with a pulsing weapon) increase the soak class of the armor.
+8 +2 soak class against electrical attacks
+4 soak class against electrical attacks
C rashbreaking +6 soak class against electrical attacks
Armor Augment +8 soak class against electrical attacks
This armor is designed to help cushion the wearer’s fall by ab-
sorbing the shock and keeping the person inside from rattling F ireproofing

Sciences
Chapter 10
around. It’s not going to keep you alive in a crashing airship from
a high altitude, but it might help out when somebody pushes you Armor Augment
over the side of the building. While wearing crashbreaking armor, While wearing armor that has fireproofing, all fire attacks are
you can fall further before taking wounds damage. soakable. Furthermore, the soak class for the armor is improved
1 wounds damage per 30 feet fallen against fire. (If the wearer would take burns or be set on fire
from a fire attack that is entirely soaked, the extra effects are
1 wounds damage per 40 feet fallen negated.)
1 wounds damage per 50 feet fallen +1 soak class against fire
1 wounds damage per 60 feet fallen +2 soak class against fire
+3 soak class against fire
+4 soak class against fire

193
 F lame R etardant Q uick E quip
Armor Augment Armor Augment
The armor generally cannot be caught on fire, depending on how Most armor takes a while to equip - not this stuff ! It takes only
intense the fire is. a turn or two.
Cannot be caught on tier 1 fire 10 AP to equip
Cannot be caught on tier 2 fire 6 AP to equip
Cannot be caught on tier 3 fire 3 AP to equip
Cannot be caught on tier 4 fire 1 AP to equip

H andcrushing R azor -R idged

Armor Augment Armor Augment
Activation Cost: 1 AP Your armor has sharp edges, pointy bits, and moving pieces that
When people add gears to their armor, it’s not merely steampunk- keep enemies from grabbing you. Any time an opponent grabs
themed decor. Those gears are designed to tear apart anybody onto you, they automatically take a number of unsoakable dam-
who lays a hand on that armor. If a person is grabbing you while age based on the razor-ridged marque. Every turn that they keep
wearing this armor, you may spend 1 action point to activate the holding on to you, they take that damage again (this damage is
spinning gears, the hydraulic spikes, or the built-in flamethrower dealt at the end of their turn, when their action points refresh).
and deal unsoakable damage to the person touching you. 3 damage
4 damage 6 damage
8 damage 9 damage
12 damage 12 damage
16 damage
Note: As a courtesy, feel free to remind the person grabbing you R einforced P lating
that they can reflexively let go of you for 0 action points when-
ever they’d like. Armor Augment
Through additional plating being added to various body parts,
you are able to decrease the chances of called shots effecting
I njector you. When you choose this augment, choose one limb or area on
Armor Augment the body (either arm, either leg, the torso, or the head). Thereaf-
Through the use of a magnetic trigger system connected to a ter, you gain a bonus whenever attempting to resist a called shot
there.
liquid injector, this augment creates a quick injection system that
allows the wearer to, through the push of a button, inject himself +2
with a dose of a chemical. It requires 5 action points to reload
a dose of the chemical after it’s been used, but no action points +4
to inject it. At any given time, the armor can only hold so many +6
chemicals.
Sciences
Chapter 10

+8
1 alchemical potion
2 alchemical potions S tabilizing R ods
3 alchemical potions
Armor Augment
4 alchemical potions Activation Cost: 0 AP (see below)
Your armor is built with stabilizing rods in the arms that allow
M obile you to automatically enter firing stance for 0 action points. This
allows you to fire super-heavy firearms and crossbows imme-
Armor Augment diately. However, you are rooted to the spot you’re in until you
Light, easy to move in, and with enhanced piston-joints to really spend 1 action point to reset the stabilizing rods back into their
get you moving, this armor provides a bonus to your speed. original location.
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
+5 feet purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
+10 feet ment despite your skill in armsmith.
+10 feet
+15 feet
194
S lippery
Armor Augment
While wearing this armor, you are very difficult to grab on to. Any
time you are attempting to evade a grab or resist a grab, you gain
a bonus on your roll.
+2
+4
+6
+8

S teaming
Armor Augment
Your armor lets off steam, enveloping you and everyone around
you in a foggy, hard-to-see-through steam. You may turn it off for
1 action point, but otherwise it makes an area around you difficult
to see through. Anybody in the area is affected by poor vision, and
takes a -2 to accuracy and evade rolls.
5 feet
10 feet
15 feet
20 feet

W elded W eapon
Armor Augment
You weld a weapon to your armor. The weapon cannot be dis-
armed, dropped, or concealed, but it also does not need to be
drawn in order to be used. The maximum size of the weapon
depends on the mark.
Medium
Medium
Heavy
Heavy

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195
 p Automata M
Automata is the complex skill of piecing together machines that act on their own
or do things that people cannot do by themselves. If you’re interested in creating a
massive, mechanical juggernaut, an intelligent and self-serving automaton, or creat-
ing prosthetics that can be attached to your friends in place of their fleshy limbs,
automata is your place.

Def HP
+2 +7
Aug
The 3 Types of Automatons Automaton Repairs +2
There are three types of automatons that an automaton crafter Automata Specialty
can choose to develop.
Cost: 3 AP
Steamers: Steam-powered automatons that are remotely You’re able to quickly repair an automaton in battle. To do so,
controlled by their owner. Steamers are typically the larg- you must be adjacent to it. By making the repairs, you restore a
est and strongest of the three automatons. number of wounds to the automaton.
Fuse Boxes: Electric-powered automatons with brain- 10 wounds
works that allow them to think on their own. Fuse boxes
are rarely very strong, but they move entirely on their own 15 wounds
accord. 20 wounds
Clockworks: Automatons comprised of clockwork and 30 wounds
springs that have pre-programmed analytical engines,
causing them to only react to their surroundings. Aug HP
Once you’ve chosen which type of automaton you want to craft, +2 +6
DIY
Sciences

Interchangeable Parts
Chapter 10

you’ll take the specialty for that automaton. You may learn dif- +1
ferent types of automatons, and even apply different control
styles to the same automaton. Automata Specialty
Cost: 3 AP
Your automatons are designed so that their parts can be replaced
Skill Organization and altered in the middle of battle. This gives the automatons
additional slots for augments, but these augments are not always
This skill begins with specialties allowing you to build and cus- active. At any time, a person may switch out the augments for 3
tomize automatons up front, followed by specialties for build- action points, activating one augment but deactivating another
ing prosthetic body parts, which can be added to those autom- augment. You may replace multiple augments at the same time
atons (or used as replacement limbs for other people). You’ll all for the cost of 3 action points.
find Steamers first (and their boiler augments), then Fuse Boxes This specialty works within the marque system. The
(along with their brainwork augments), and finally Clockworks amount of interchangeable slots the automaton has depends on
(accompanied by their analytical engine augments). the marque of its creator.
1 interchangeable slot for an augment
2 interchangeable slots for augments
3 interchangeable slots for augments
4 interchangeable slots for augments
196
Crafting Steamers Aug HP
+4
+2
DIY
Steam-Powered Crafter +1
Using your Steamer
Automata Specialty
Back in the day, steam-powered automatons used coal, so they
The first step in crafting your steamer, boilers are the machinery were often large, hulking affairs that moved slowly and ate
that powers your automaton and gives it motion and strength. up a lot of fuel. Emperor Deylus Luthricien and the royalists
Your boiler is automatically housed within the automaton’s torso, changed that during the civil war when they integrated aether
onto which you can attach any body parts you wish. technology into their boilers for easier steam generation. Now,
Without spending any money, you can build and main- steam-powered automatons are fast, lighter-weight, and can be
tain several steamers based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY) controlled via remote controls and radio waves.
score. The boilers in these steamers can then be upgraded with
augments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can
be selected under “boiler augments” below. These augments have
Control M ethod c
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. Steamers require the use of a two-handed remote control, emit-
As your skill in Automata improves, your marques will increase. ting radio waves to the aether resonators inside the automatons.
See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more These remote controls allow the user to be up to 100 feet away
information. and still control the automaton. The automaton can generally
do anything a normal person could do (such as walking, jump-
Each boiler can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some- ing, fighting, and deflecting), and it takes the controller the
times an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For ex- same amount of action points to control the automaton as it
ample, the “Flight” augment is worth 2 slots, so a boiler only has would for a normal person to make the action (such as 1 action
1 more available slot for an augment after “Flight” has been ap- point to make the automaton move, or 2 action points to make
plied. the automaton attack). A single remote control can be used to
Number of Steamers you can Maintain z control all of your automatons. Steamers have no action points
of their own; therefore, if your steamer is hit with an attack that
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some lowers its number of action points, your steamer is unaffected.
steamers entirely out of scraps. These automatons must be con-
B ody of the M achine c
stantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving
your care. You may build and maintain a number of steamers for
free based on your DIY score. You may build new steamers or Steamers will have a Boiler, which will be augmentable with 3
augment old ones during any period of downtime you have. slots. One may later take Beta Boiler to improve on that. Body
parts may then be added to the boiler.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Your steamer (by default) is built with a head to house
You can build: 1 1 1 1 1 2 its radio receptors and a torso and groin to house its boiler. The
two are connected via a neck support. To its torso you may at-
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 tach either two arms or one unit of movement. Its groin may
You can build: 2 2 2 2 2 3 have a unit of movement attached to it. A unit of movement

Sciences
Chapter 10
is either a set of legs, wheels, or a propulsion device. (See the
The Cost of Steamers z Units of Movement sidebar for more information.)
Your steamer has 0 hit points and 30 wounds. Any
If you need to build a steamer that you can’t build for free from “bleeding” damage your steamer takes causes steam to eracti-
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. cally leak out of its boiler, making it take bleeding damage in
A steamer without augments will cost 50 princes. If you the same fashion as any regular organism. In addition, the rigid
are building a steamer, the steamer will have a base materials cost. structuring of your steamer’s boiler grants it an extra 3 soak
It is 1/5th the market price (10 princes). class. As your automaton has no mind of its own, it cannot be
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the affected by anything that requires Spirit or Cunning as a resist.
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes 6250 princes
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
augment is 10 princes.
197
 Aug HP
+1 +5
DIY
Units of Movement Prototype Boilers +1
Automatons will normally have a unit of movement attached Automata Specialty
to them. This could be a set of legs, wheels, or a propulsion Requires: 16 skill points in Automata, Steam-Powered Crafter, &
device. Beta Boiler specialties
Legs c You’ve perfected your beta boilers and made them user-friendly.
Now anybody can control an automaton with a boiler that you
Legs provide movement. Legs can easily traverse almost any designate as being a prototype.
terrain. By having a set of legs (typically two), an automaton

p Steamer Operator Specialties M

will have a speed of 20 feet, can walk up stairs, move over all
degrees rough terrain, and generally have little problem getting
about as do most tephrans. The legs do not allow the automa-
ton to climb or swim. By having legs, the automaton can be Acc HP
affected by called shots to the legs. +1 +6
Wheels c
Eva
Steamer Operator +1
Wheels allow for faster movement, though their are some clear Automata Specialty
disadvantages compared to legs. Wheels will give the automa-
ton a speed of 30 feet, but the automaton will only be able to As a practiced automaton fighter, you can make a steamer move
go up stairs at a speed of 10 feet, and the penalties for moving just the way you want it to. Whenever you are operating a steamer,
through rough terrain are doubled. The wheels do not allow the the steamer can use your accuracy, strike, defense, and evade.
automaton to climb or swim. Wheels can be targeted as called Eva HP
shot locations - they have the same effects as legs. +1 +7
Propulsion Device c
Aug
Steam Poser +1
Sometimes legs and wheels don’t cut it. Underwater automa- Automata Specialty
tons will have propellors or automated fins. Some automatons
will stand on wheels but use a rocket to propel them forward. A Requires: Steam Operator & at least one stance known
propulsion device will allow the automaton a speed of 20 feet You know how to make a steamer accurately strike a pose. Steam-
(on either land, surface waters, or under water). The penalties ers you control will automatically act as if they are in the same
for moving through rough terrain are doubled, and the propul- stance(s) as you. The instant you stop being a steamer’s current
sion device does not allow the automaton to climb or swim operator, the steamer loses all its stances.
(unless the propulsion device is intended for underwater move- HP
ment, in which case it does not allow the automaton to move Acc
across the land). If a propulsion device is targeted as a called +1 +6
Aug
shot location, it has the same effect as if it were a leg. Steam Specialist +1
Automata Specialty
Requires: 3 skill points in Automata & Steam Operator specialty
Aug HP
+4 A true joystick master, you rise above any primitive control
+2 scheme put in front of you to make your steamer move just as
DIY
Beta Boilers +1 you do. You can now modify the actions of any steamer you are
operating with specialties you know.
Automata Specialty
Sciences
Chapter 10

Requires: 4 skill points in Automata & Steam-Powered Crafter

specialty
Your boilers are highly advanced yet difficult for most people to
use. Such boilers can be upgraded with 2 more augments (bring-
ing the total up to 5 augmentable slots).
If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
beta steamers, they must succeed in rolling a sciences result one
tier higher than the highest marque you have on your steamer. If
your steamer has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them
to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with
their sciences attribute).

198
 p Boiler Augments M F ire A bsorbing
Boiler Augment
You need heat to make steam. Your boiler can already produce
A rmored B oiler heat on its own, but you’re not opposed to other people helping
Boiler Augment it out. Any heat damage your steamer would take from being on
fire instead heals it.
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Boiler
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
Your boiler has armoring built into it so that it won’t impede your purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
steamer in any way. This increases your steamer’s natural soak despite your skill in automata.
class.
+1 soak class
E asy R epairs
+2 soak class
Boiler Augment
+3 soak class
Used with the Automaton Repairs specialty
+4 soak class The automaton is designed in a logical, accessible way that makes
Note: this augment stacks with the soak class bonus granted from repairs easy. Whenever somebody is attempting to repair it via the
the Brickhouse Boiler augment. Automaton Repairs specialty, they gain a bonus on their automata
roll.
A utomated B oiler R epair +3 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
Boiler Augment +6 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
The boiler contains internal systems which patch up damage it +9 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
recieves. While this won’t remove wound effects, every turn it will +12 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
replenish some wounds damage.
1 wound repaired
2 wounds repaired
3 wounds repaired
4 wounds repaired

B rickhouse B oiler
Boiler Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Boiler
The walls of your boiler are exceptionally thick and well-insu-
lated, protecting your steamer from damage.
+1 soak class
+2 soak class

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Chapter 10
+3 soak class
+4 soak class
Note: this augment stacks with the soak class
bonus granted from the Armored Boiler
augment.

199
 F light P rotected C ore
Boiler Augment Boiler Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on a Boiler If your automaton is defeated in battle, its insides are heavily
The automaton has been outfitted with a graviton sphere, allow- safeguarded to allow for easy repair during your next breather.
ing it to float and move. It can now fly, with its speed depending An automaton with a protected core can be entirely rebuilt in a
on the marque. Any speed penalties you take from armor will matter of minutes. The automaton can be repaired up to a certain
penalize this speed. amount of maximum wounds, based on the marque. It cannot be
repaired past its normal maximum number of wounds
5 feet of fly speed per action point
10 wounds after repairs
10 feet of fly speed per action point
20 wounds after repairs
15 feet of fly speed per action point
30 wounds after repairs
25 feet of fly speed per action point
40 wounds after repairs

L ightning R esistant R ealistic

Boiler Augment
Boiler Augment
The automaton is naturally resistant to lightning and electricity.
Electrical damage is now soakable as regular damage. Resist: Cunning (negates)
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the You’ve designed the body of your automaton to look quite real,
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment replicating the appearance of a living or imaginary creature. Any
despite your skill in automata. persons who looks upon it will believe it to be real unless they can
beat the automaton’s roll with their Cunning. The automaton’s
roll gains a bonus based on the marque of this augment.
P assenger +5 to fool target
Boiler Augment +10 to foot target
Your automaton has a hollow compartment inside, allowing peo-
ple to ride inside and see out through eye holes or monitors of +15 to fool target
your design. While inside an automaton, a character cannot be +20 to fool target
directly targeted but they in turn cannot interact with anything
outside of the automaton, although the automaton can still hear
all voice commands. Any remote controls for the automaton can R einforced B oiler
still control it from its passenger compartment. The number of
people the automaton can hold is equal to the number of spaces Boiler Augment
it takes up. The amount of action points required by passengers The boiler is all-around better built, granting it extra points of
to get into and out of the automaton is based on the marque of wounds.
this augment.
+10 wounds
4 AP to enter or exit the automaton (can take multiple
turns) +20 wounds
3 AP to enter or exit the automaton +30 wounds
Sciences
Chapter 10

2 AP to enter or exit the automaton +40 wounds

1 AP to enter or exit the automaton
R esilient B oiler
Boiler Augment
Your steamer has a boiler any engineer would be proud of. Du-
rable and reliable, your steamer has extra points of wounds.
+10 wounds
+20 wounds
+30 wounds
+40 wounds

200
R emotely R emote C ontrolled V erbal C ommand U nit
Boiler Augment Boiler Augment
The automaton can be controlled from a great distance. If the If your automaton has the ability to hear you, you can now issue
user has no way of knowing what the automaton can see, they it verbal commands without the need for a remote control. It still
might be wasting commands. costs you the same amount of action points to get it to perform
any action since you have to guide the automaton through every
Up to 200 feet away intricacy of the actions they take. The last person to give your
Up to 2,000 feet away steamer any verbal commands is considered your steamer’s cur-
rent operator. If your steamer is deafened, getting it to perform
Up to 2 miles away an action through verbal commands costs an extra action point.
Up to 20 miles away Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in automata.
S hield M ode
Boiler Augment
Activation Cost: 2 AP (see below)
Your automaton can hunker down into a solid dense mass for two
of its controller’s action points, allowing it to be easily used as
medium cover (+6 to evade against ranged attacks) for the same
number of spaces it normally takes up. While in shield mode,
your automaton cannot move or act. You can command it to exit
this form for two action points. It also gains extra soak class while
this ability is active.
+1 soak class
+2 soak class
+3 soak class
+4 soak class

T actile C ontrols
Boiler Augment
Your highly responsive control scheme allows your automaton to
use your Dexterity as a bonus to its own as long as you’re are
controlling it with a remote control.
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in automata.

Sciences
Chapter 10
T est of S trength C ontrols
Boiler Augment
Your steamer has been outfitted with pressurized bags of steam
which inflate and deflate to replicate the amount of torque placed
on the joystick of its remote control. When the person piloting
your steamer is using its remote control, the steamer is able to use
its operator’s Brute as a bonus onto its own.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in automata.

201
 Crafting Fuse Boxes Aug HP Aug HP
+2 +4 +2 +4
Eva DIY
Fuse Box Builder +1 Advanced Brainworks +1
Automata Specialty Automata Specialty
You can now create electric-powered automatons and upgrade Requires: 4 skill points in Automata & Fuse Box Builder specialty
the brainworks that power them and grant them artificial intel- Your brainworks go far beyond what most other automata build-
ligence. Tephrans colloquially call them “fuse boxes.” ers could conceptually imagine. Such brainworks have two more
Without spending any money, you can build and main- slots for you to place augments into.
tain one fuse box. The brainworks of this fuse box can then be
upgraded with augments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this spe- Aug HP
cialty, which can be selected under “brainworks augments” below. +2 +6
DIY
These augments have marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with
Marque I augments. As your skill in Automata improves, your
Superior Brainworks +1
marques will increase. See the “Crafting” page at the beginning Automata Specialty
of this chapter for more information. Requires: 6 skill points in Automata & Fuse Box Builder specialty
Each brainworks can be upgraded with 3 augments. Your brainworks are far more advanced than the common artifi-
Sometimes an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For cial intelligence. All brainworks you create with your DIY have 3
example, the “Lightning Soul” augment is worth 2 slots, so a action points per turn instead of 2. Buying fuse boxes with su-
brainworks unit only has 1 more available slot for an augment perior brainworks costs 10,000 princes (a materials cost of 2,000
after “Lightning Soul” has been applied. princes) on top of any other costs.
Maintaining your Fuse Box z Aug HP
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build a single +2 +5
fuse box entirely out of scraps. This automaton must be con- DIY
stantly maintained by you and stops working soon after leaving Heroic Brainworks +1
your care. You can replace your fuse box automaton or augment Automata Specialty
your current one during any period of downtime you have. Requires: 9 skill points in Automata, Fuse Box Builder, & Superior
The Cost of Fuse Boxes z Brainworks specialties
Brainworks crafted with your DIY can fight with the tenacity of
If you need to build a fuse box that you can’t build for free from
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. a great warrior and think at the speed of a quick-witted rogue.
All brainworks you create with your DIY have 4 action points per
The fuse box, unaugmented, will have a base cost de- turn instead of 3. Buying fuse boxes with superior brainworks
pending on its marque. (The marque will determine its number costs 50,000 princes (a materials cost of 10,000 princes) on top
of action points per turn.) If you buy a fuse box and augments, of any other costs.
you will add the price of the augments onto the price of the au-
tomaton. Aug HP
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Chapter 10

+2 +5
Marque I II III IV DIY
Market Price 200 princes 1000 princes 5000 princes 25000 princes
Personality +1
Automata Specialty
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the Requires: Fuse Box Builder specialty
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below. It’s understandable for a gentleman adventurer to get lonely on
the road. The cold embrace of an unfeeling automaton won’t
Marque I II III IV stave off feelings of solitude for long. Luckily for you, there’s an
easy solution: give that unfeeling automaton some feelings! Your
Market Price 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes 6250 princes brainworks can now be built with personality, making the fuse
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which box you put them into feel the same emotional sensations as any
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. other Tephran. This gives them the ability to gain stories (includ-
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market ing ones from your nationality) and learn specialties from the
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1 Spirit attribute. Buying fuse boxes with personality costs 5,000
augment is 10 princes. princes (a materials cost of 1,000 princes) on top of any other
costs.
Note: They still cannot gain DIY or augments through
stories or specialties.

202
 Using your Fuse Box p Brainworks Augments M
The first electric-powered automatons were invented by the
Hazards, and later the technology was adapted and used to
create numerous smaller and more efficient automatons that A lert
would protect the Hazardlands. Many Evanglessians called Brainworks Augment
electric-powered automatons “Sparkers” or “Fuse Boxes.” Fuse The automaton is always alert (unless when out of power or
Boxes have the most advanced sensory arrays, and can compute turned off), and will raise an alarm if its sensors pick up any-
information to such an extent that they seem almost lifelike. thing.
This artificial intelligence is known as brainworks.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
Control M ethod c poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in automata.
Fuse boxes use their brainworks to act independently. They be-
gin as creations with 2 action points per turn. The sensory array
allows the creator to give it verbal commands, like telling it to
“attack that man” or “run to my side,” which costs the creator
B rute P hysics
no action points. Your fuse box must roll priority separately Brainworks Augment
from you as it is an autonomous being with its own turns. Your brainworks is filled with meticulous physics calculators, al-
B ody of the M achine c
lowing it to use the power of mind over matter to perform feats
of incredible strength. It has a bonus to Brute.
Fuse Boxes will begin with Brainworks, which has 3 slots that +3 Brute
can be augmented. This can be upgraded with Advanced Brain-
works, which gives the automaton more control over itself and +12 Brute
an additional 2 slots for its brainworks. Body parts can then be +31 Brute
added onto the brainworks.
Your fuse box (by default) is built with a head to house +47 Brute
its brainworks and a torso and groin to house its drive core.
The two are connected via a neck support. To its torso you may
attach either two arms or one unit of movement. Its groin may D exterity D irectory
have a unit of movement attached to it. A unit of movement Brainworks Augment
is either a set of legs, wheels, or a propulsion device. (See the
Units of Movement sidebar for more information.) Your brainworks contains a vast directory of motion capture data
taken from some of the world’s greatest acrobats and rogues.
Your fuse box’s integrity comes from the electricity its Whenever it needs them, your brainworks can make your automa-
brainworks produces, which at default is 8 hit points. Once out ton mimic these athletes, granting it a bonus to Dexterity.
of hit points its brainworks is exposed and your automaton will
begin to take wounds damage. Fuse boxes have only 12 points of +3 Dexterity
wounds. Any “bleeding” damage your automaton takes causes
lightning to shoot out of its electrical conduit, making it take +12 Dexterity
bleeding damage in the same fashion as any regular organism. +31 Dexterity
Fuse boxes have 2 action points per turn. As sen- +47 Dexterity
tient machines, fuse boxes can learn specialties based on their
marque. They act as if they have 1 point in the skills they have
specialties in for the purposes of prerequisites and for the spe- E asy R epairs

Sciences
Chapter 10
cialty itself. This point does not increase their attributes at all.
Brainworks Augment
Has 1 specialty
Used with the Automaton Repairs specialty
Has 2 specialties The automaton is designed in a logical, accessible way that makes
Has 3 specialties repairs easy. Whenever somebody is attempting to repair it via the
Automaton Repairs specialty, they gain a bonus on their automata
Has 5 specialties roll.
+3 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
+6 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
Pirates or Ninjas? Obvi +9 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
ou
the question is flawed, fosly +12 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
r
automatons rule.

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 F use B ox S pecialist L ightning S oul
Brainworks Augment Brainworks Augment
Your fusebox is better at using its specialties. Instead of having Takes up 2 augment slots on the Brainworks
1 point in their skills for using their specialties and for prereq- Electricity is your fuse box’s blood, so when someone makes
uisites, they use the following numbers: it bleed, they’re in for quite a shock! Whenever someone deals
bleeding damage to your fuse box, including any taken from
2 skill points for specialties wounds or fatal effects, bolts of lightning erupt from its body
4 skill points for specialties into the person dealing the damage, as long as they are within 20
feet of your fusebox when dealing the damage. The victim of this
10 skill points for specialties augment is denied an evade roll.
18 skill points for specialties 8 electric damage
16 electric damage
M aster F use B ox 24 electric damage
Brainworks Augment 32 electric damage
Requires: fusebox augmented with Fuse Box Specialist augment
Your fusebox is a master of using their specialties. They have
an additional skill bonus for their specialties and for prerequi- L inguistics
sites on top of their Fusebox Specialist augment Brainworks Augment
+1 skill points for specialties Takes up 0 augment slots on the Brainworks
+3 skill points for specialties The automaton has learned the basics of language and, with the
addition of a soundbox in its mouth, can now process and recre-
+5 skill points for specialties ate language.
+7 skill points for specialties It can speak its creator’s language, though poorly
It can speak its creator’s language fluently
F light It can speak three languages fluently
Brainworks Augment It can speak ten languages fluently
Takes up 2 augment slots on the Brainworks Note : As an augment that takes up 0 slots, the cost to apply lin-
The automaton has been outfitted with a graviton sphere, allow- guistics to an automaton is half as much as a normal augment
ing it to float and move. It can now fly, with its speed depending (rounded down).
on the marque. Any speed penalties you take from armor will
penalize this speed.
M echanical S harpness
5 feet of flight speed per action point Brainworks Augment
10 feet of flight speed per action point The fusebox can make precisely timed actions, granting it a bo-
15 feet of flight speed per action point nus on its accuracy rolls.
20 feet of flight speed per action point +2 Accuracy
Sciences
Chapter 10

+4 Accuracy
I nstalled C unning +6 Accuracy
Brainworks Augment +8 Accuracy
You’ve given your automaton street-smarts and wit, allowing it
to analyze the words of others and its surroundings, as well as
allowing it to effectively gather new information. This grants it a P assenger
bonus to Cunning. Brainworks Augment
+3 Cunning Your automaton has a hollow compartment inside, allowing peo-
ple to ride inside and see out through eye holes or monitors of
+12 Cunning your design. While inside an automaton, a character cannot be
+31 Cunning directly targeted but they in turn cannot interact with anything
outside of the automaton, although the automaton can still hear
+47 Cunning all voice commands. The number of people the automaton can
hold is equal to the number of spaces it takes up. The amount of
action points required by passengers to get into and out of the
automaton is based on the marque of this augment.

204
 4 AP to enter or exit the automaton (can take multiple S hock A bsorber
turns)
Brainworks Augment
3 AP to enter or exit the automaton Carefully hidden miniature conduits across your fuse box’s body
2 AP to enter or exit the automaton allow it to soak electric damage normally, even if the electric at-
tack states it denies soak or defense. Any electric damage it soaks
1 AP to enter or exit the automaton is harnessed for energy, replenishing your fusebox’s hit points.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
P rotected C ore purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in automata.
Brainworks Augment
If your automaton is defeated in battle, its insides are heavily
safeguarded to allow for easy repair during your next breather. S lippery C ircuits
An automaton with a protected core can be entirely rebuilt in a Brainworks Augment
matter of minutes. The automaton can be repaired up to a certain
amount of maximum wounds, based on the marque. It cannot be Your automaton always seems to slip right out from under its at-
repaired past its normal maximum number of wounds tackers. Its sensors are in full usage, fully optimizing the automa-
ton for jumping away from harm. It gains a bonus of evade rolls.
10 wounds after repairs
+2 Evade
20 wounds after repairs
+3 Evade
30 wounds after repairs
+4 Evade
40 wounds after repairs
+5 Evade

R ealistic S piritual C onnection

Brainworks Augment
Brainworks Augment
Resist: Cunning (negates)
Requires: Brainworks built with Personality
You’ve designed the body of your automaton to look quite real,
replicating the appearance of a living or imaginary creature. Any Your brainworks better understands what it means to be ‘alive’ and
persons who looks upon it will believe it to be real unless they can has been programmed with the mental fortitude of a monk. This
beat the automaton’s roll with their Cunning. The automaton’s allows the automaton to better replicate and control its Tephran
roll gains a bonus based on the marque of this augment. emotions, granting it bonuses to Spirit.
+5 to fool target +3 Spirit
+10 to foot target +12 Spirit
+15 to fool target +31 Spirit
+20 to fool target +47 Spirit

S cientific D atabase T argeting P rogram

Sciences
Chapter 10
Brainworks Augment Brainworks Augment
Your automaton is a walking library of information and has deep Your brainworks can zero in on a target, calculating the exact at-
understanding on the inner workings of itself and other ma- tack trajectory required to hit them.
chines, granting it a bonus to Sciences. +2 Accuracy
+3 Sciences +4 Accuracy
+12 Sciences +6 Accuracy
+31 Sciences +8 Accuracy
+47 Sciences

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 Crafting Clockworks Aug HP Aug HP
+2 +4 +2 +5
DIY DIY
Clockwork Crafter +1 Advanced Analytics +1
Automata Specialty Automata Specialty
You can now create new kinetically-powered automatons and Requires: 4 skill points in Automata & Clockwork Crafter specialty
upgrade the analytical engine that controls its pre-determined Your analytics go far beyond what most other automata builders
responses. Tephrans colloquially call them “clockworks.” could conceptually imagine. Such analytics have two more slots
Without spending any money, you can build and main- for you to place augments into.
tain several clockworks based on your current Do-It-Yourself
(DIY) score. The analytical engines of these clockworks can then
be upgraded with augments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this
specialty, which can be selected under “analytics augments” be-
low. These augments have marques. At lower levels, you’ll start
with Marque I augments. As your skill in Automata improves,
your marques will increase. See the “Crafting” page at the begin-
ning of this chapter for more information.
Using your Clockworks
Each analytics can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some- Clockwork automatons are the oldest automatons, as Velkya,
times an augment will take up multiple augment slots. For ex- the founder of Evangless, was fond of using them. Clockwork
ample, the “flight” augment is worth 2 slots, so an analytics unit automatons have come a long way, however, and now use ana-
only has 1 more available slot for an augment after “flight” has lytical engines to evaluate their surroundings and enact pre-
been applied. programmed responses. Clockworks can now work for hours
and hours without needing any maintenance (or winding up,
Number of Clockworks you can Maintain z as it would be).

Control M ethod c
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some
clockworks entirely out of scraps. These automatons must be
constantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving Clockworks work by using pre-programmed responses called
your care. You may build and maintain a number of clockworks Directives. Without a Directive augmented onto them, a clock-
for free based on your DIY score. You may build new clockworks work will not make any actions. Each directive acts separately
or augment old ones during any period of downtime you have. from the rest. Clockworks don’t have action points, and require
no action points from its master to function. Therefore if your
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 clockwork is hit with an attack that lowers its number of ac-
You can build: 1 1 1 1 1 2 tion points for a turn, your clockwork is unaffected. Outside of
combat you can temporarily turn off and on some (or all) of
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 your clockwork’s directives to avoid it attacking townsfolk.

B ody of the M achine c

You can build: 2 2 2 2 2 3
Sciences
Chapter 10

The Cost of Clockworks z Clockworks will begin with an analytical engine, which has 3
slots to be augmented with pre-programmed responses. This
If you need to build a clockwork that you can’t build for free from can be upgraded with Advanced Analytics, which allows for 2
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. more slots. Some crafters learn how to make punch cards, to
A clockwork without augments will cost 50 princes. If re-program their clockworks on the spots. Body parts can then
you are building a clockwork, the clockwork will have a base ma- be added onto the analytical engine.
terials cost. It is 1/5th the market price (10 princes). Your clockwork (by default) is built with a head to
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the house its analytical engine and a torso and groin to house its
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment perpetual motion clockwork. The two are connected via a neck
can be found in the chart below. support. To its torso you may attach either two arms or one
unit of movement. Its groin may have a unit of movement at-
Marque I II III IV tached to it. A unit of movement is either a set of legs, wheels,
Market Price 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes 6250 princes or a propulsion device. (See the Units of Movement sidebar for
more information.)
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which Clockworks have no hit points and 20 points of
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. wounds. Any “bleeding” damage your automaton takes causes
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market springs and cogs to pop out of place within its clockwork, mak-
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1 ing it take bleeding damage in the same fashion as any regular
augment is 10 princes. organism.
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 p Analytics Augments M D o -N ot -D ie C omponent
Analytics Augment
Your clockwork is designed to take more hits before its inevitable
A venge -M e D irective destruction, not that it cares.
Analytics Augment +10 wounds
Your analytical engine thoughtlessly fights back against those
who try and harm the target of this augment. When applying +20 wounds
this augment, choose someone (usually yourself) to be its target. +30 wounds
When the target of this augment is attacked and the attacker is
within range of this clockwork, the clockwork will automatically +40 wounds
attack the attacker once, using a weapon if it is wielding one. The
number of times the clockwork will do this per combat turn is
determined by the marque of this augment. E asy R epairs
Will perform this action once Analytics Augment
Used with the Automaton Repairs specialty
Will perform this action twice
The automaton is designed in a logical, accessible way that makes
Will perform this action twice repairs easy. Whenever somebody is attempting to repair it via the
Will perform this action thrice Automaton Repairs specialty, they gain a bonus on their automata
roll.
+3 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
D efend -Y our -A rea D irective
+6 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
Analytics Augment
Your clockwork attacks personnel who enter a space adjacent to +9 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
them, exempting anyone you’ve pre-programmed them to see as +12 on the Automaton Repairs rolls
an ally (usually you and any party members you don’t want your
automaton to chop into pieces). They will perform this action a
number of times per combat turn determined by the marque of F light
this augment. If they are blinded to or cannot recognize someone
they are pre-programmed to see as an ally, they will attack them Analytics Augment
using this augment. They will only attack a specific target once Takes up 2 augment slots on the Brainworks
per adjacent space they walk through per turn. The automaton has been outfitted with a graviton sphere, allow-
Will act out this directive once ing it to float and move. It can now fly, with its speed depending
on the marque. Any speed penalties you take from armor will
Will act out this directive twice penalize this speed.
Will act out this directive twice 5 feet of flight speed per action point
Will act out this directive thrice 10 feet of flight speed per action point
15 feet of flight speed per action point
20 feet of flight speed per action point

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F ollow -M e D irective
Analytics Augment
Your clockwork will aimlessly follow the target of this augment.
When applying this augment, choose someone (usually yourself)
to be its target. Whenever the target of this augment moves, this
clockwork will move as far as it can in the same direction, at-
tempting to get to a space adjacent to them.
Will move toward their target once per turn
Will move toward their target twice per turn
Will move toward their target three times per turn
Will move toward their target four times per turn

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 G o -T here D irective L ightning R esistant
Analytics Augment Analytics Augment
Activation Cost: 1 AP (see below) The automaton is naturally resistant to lightning and electricity.
Your clockwork is programmed to move where you want it to, Electrical damage is now soakable as regular damage.
although its analytical engine needs guidance when doing so. Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
When applying this augment, choose someone (usually yourself) purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
to be its target. For 1 action point the target of this augment ment despite your skill in automata.
can, through pointing and probably yelling, make your clockwork
move once. If your clockwork has a separate directive that makes
it move, directing your clockwork somewhere with this augment
will not prevent it from carrying out the other directive the first
chance it gets.
M arch -T here S ubdirective
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the Analytics Augment
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment Requires: Analytics with the Go-There Directive augment
despite your skill in automata. More people can guide your clockwork’s aimless wandering
around the battlefield. Based on the marque of this augment, you
can program in more targets for your Go-There Directive.
H edge -Y our -A rea S ubdirective
One additional guide
Analytics Augment
Requires: Analytics with the Defend-Your-Area Directive augment Two additional guides
When someone causes your automaton to act out their Defend- Three additional guides
Your-Area Directive, your clockwork is pre-programmed to not Four additional guides
fail its programmer. It gains an accuracy bonus on any attacks
made while acting out the Defend-Your-Area Directive.
+3 Accuracy M ark -Y our -A rea S ubdirective
+6 Accuracy Analytics Augment
+9 Accuracy Requires: Analytics with the Defend-Your-Area Directive augment
When someone causes your automaton to act out their Defend-
+12 Accuracy Your-Area Directive, your clockwork is designed to make their
prey regret it. It gains a strike bonus on any attacks made while
acting out the Defend-Your-Area Directive.
H it -T hem S ubdirective
+4 Strike
Analytics Augment
Requires: Analytics with the Avenge-Me Directive augment +8 Strike
When your automaton acts out its Avenge-Me Directive it is ac- +12 Strike
curate about doing so. It gains an accuracy bonus on any attacks +16 Strike
made while acting out the Avenge-Me Directive.
+3 Accuracy
P assenger
Sciences
Chapter 10

+6 Accuracy
Analytics Augment
+9 Accuracy Your automaton has a hollow compartment inside, allowing peo-
+12 Accuracy ple to ride inside and see out through eye holes or monitors of
your design. While inside an automaton, a character cannot be
directly targeted but they in turn cannot interact with anything
H urt -T hem S ubdirective outside of the automaton, although the automaton can still hear
all voice commands. The number of people the automaton can
Analytics Augment hold is equal to the number of spaces it takes up. The amount of
Requires: Analytics with the Avenge-Me Directive augment action points required by passengers to get into and out of the
Your analytical engine is designed to mindlessly put all of its automaton is based on the marque of this augment.
strength into dealing more damage whenever it acts out its 4 AP to enter or exit the automaton (can take multiple
Avenge-Me Directive. It gains a strike bonus on any attacks made turns)
while acting out the Avenge-Me Directive.
3 AP to enter or exit the automaton
+4 Strike
2 AP to enter or exit the automaton
+8 Strike
1 AP to enter or exit the automaton
+12 Strike
+16 Strike
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P rotect -M e D irective R ealistic
Analytics Augment Analytics Augment
Your clockwork will witlessly jump in the way of attacks made Resist: Cunning (negates)
against the target of this augment. When applying this augment, You’ve designed the body of your automaton to look quite real,
choose someone (usually yourself) to be its target. When adjacent replicating the appearance of a living or imaginary creature. Any
to the target of this augment, this clockwork will take damage in persons who looks upon it will believe it to be real unless they can
their stead. This clockwork will only do this a certain number of beat the automaton’s roll with their Cunning. The automaton’s
times per turn determined by the marque of this augment. roll gains a bonus based on the marque of this augment.
Will take damage instead of their target once per turn +5 to fool target
Will take damage instead of their target twice per turn +10 to foot target
Will take damage instead of their target thrice per turn +15 to fool target
Will take damage instead of their target four times per +20 to fool target
turn

P rotect -U s S ubdirective R un -T here S ubdirective

Analytics Augment
Analytics Augment Requires: Analytics with the Go-There Directive augment
Requires: Analytics with the Protect-Me Directive augment While your analytical engine still has difficulties following direc-
You can program in additional targets (usually other party mem- tions, it is faster in getting to its destination once you set it on the
bers) of your automaton’s Protect-Me Directive, although they right path. It gains a speed bonus while acting out the Go-There
still must be adjacent to any persons they attempt to protect. Directive.
1 additional protectee +5 feet of movement
2 additional protectees +10 feet of movement
3 additional protectees +15 feet of movement
4 additional protectees +25 feet of movement

P rotect -Y ourself S ubdirective S hadow -M e S ubdirective

Analytics Augment Analytics Augment
Requires: Analytics with the Protect-Me Directive augment Requires: Analytics with the Go-There Directive augment
When your automaton acts out its Protect-Me Directive it is bet- Your clockwork is designed to stay beside its target no matter
ter about protecting itself. It gains a defense bonus while acting what. Whenever your clockwork acts out its Follow-Me Direc-
out the Protect-Me Directive. tive, it can make one additional movement towards its target per
+4 Defense combat turn.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
+8 Defense poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment

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Chapter 10
+12 Defense despite your skill in automata.
+16 Defense
S ecure -Y our -A rea S ubdirective
P rotected C ore Analytics Augment
Analytics Augment Requires: Analytics with the Defend-Your-Area Directive augment
If your automaton is defeated in battle, its insides are heavily If someone attempts to attack your automaton while already in a
safeguarded to allow for easy repair during your next breather. space adjacent to them, your automaton will spend one of its De-
An automaton with a protected core can be entirely rebuilt in a fend-Your-Area Directive actions (if it has any available) attack-
matter of minutes. The automaton can be repaired up to a certain ing them after they finish their attack. They still will not attack
amount of maximum wounds, based on the marque. It cannot be anyone programmed into them as a friendly.
repaired past its normal maximum number of wounds. Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this aug-
10 wounds after repairs ment despite your skill in automata.
20 wounds after repairs
30 wounds after repairs
40 wounds after repairs
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 S hield -Y ourself S ubdirective S print - to -M e S ubdirective
Analytics Augment Analytics Augment
Requires: Analytics with the Protect-Me Directive augment Requires: Analytics with the Follow-Me Directive augment
When your automaton acts out its Protect-Me Directive it won’t Your clockwork’s body inanely lurches towards its target as fast as
take as much damage. It gains a soak class bonus while acting its body will allow. Your automaton can move further per move-
out the Protect-Me Directive. ment whenever it is carrying out its Follow-Me Directive.
+1 soak class +10 feet of movement
+2 soak class +20 feet of movement
+3 soak class +30 feet of movement
+4 soak class +40 feet of movement

S pring -I nto -A ction C omponent S tay -A live C omponent

Analytics Augment Analytics Augment
Takes up 2 augment slots on the Brainworks You’ve built your wind-up to continue following its pre-pro-
You’ve made sure that anyone who attempts to damage the inner grammed directives well past when most other automatons would
clockwork of your automaton will rue the day they do. Whenever have fallen on the battlefield.
someone deals bleeding damage to your wind-up, including any +10 wounds
taken from wounds or fatal effects, the clockwork that springs out
has been barbed and serrated and will fly in the direction of the +20 wounds
person who dealt the damage. With a range of 10 feet, the victim
of this augment is denied an evade roll. +30 wounds
+40 wounds
8 damage
16 damage
24 damage
32 damage
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210
Crafting Prosthetics Aug HP
+6
+2
DIY If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
Prosthetician +1 is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
Automata Specialty (As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
You now have the ability to craft mechanical prosthetics onto price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
people or augment the limbs of automatons. When you create a augment is 5 princes.
prosthetic for a person, it works as a limb replacement. Of course,
once you affix your prosthetics with hidden cannons, chainsaws,
and ridiculous pistons, the comparison stops there.
Using Prosthetics
Without spending any money, you can build and main- When you first learn to make prosthetics (through the Pros-
tain several prosthetics based on your current Do-It-Yourself thetician specialty), you can make and augment hands, arms,
(DIY) score. The prosthetics can then be upgraded with aug- and legs. If somebody is missing a hand, arm, or leg, you can
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be replace it with a prosthetic. The only lasting penalty to having
selected under “univeral prosthetic augments,” “prosthetic arm a prosthetic limb is the permanent loss of wounds that come
augments,” “prosthetic hand augments,” or “prosthetic leg aug- from losing a limb. Universal prosthetic augments can go on
ments,” below. These augments have marques. At lower levels, any prosthetics.
c
you’ll start with Marque I augments. As your skill in Automata
improves, your marques will increase. See the “Crafting” page at W ounds & F atals
the beginning of this chapter for more information. If you suffer a wound or fatal effect against a prosthetic, the
Each prosthetic can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some effect is the same, except that you cannot bleed out by having
materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden prosthetics) a severed prosthetic.
or just once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take
up multiple augment slots. For example, if an augment is worth U pgrading A utomaton L imbs c
2 slots, a prosthetic only has 1 more available slot for an augment You can add prosthetics onto an automaton or augment its de-
after the 2-slot augment has been applied. fault limbs. If you upgrade the existing limbs, it counts against
Number of Prosthetics you can Maintain z your limit of prosthetics you can make and maintain with your
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some pros- DIY score.
thetics entirely out of scraps. These prosthetics must be con-
stantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving HP
your care. You may build and maintain a number of prosthetics Aug
for free based on your DIY score. You may build new prosthetics +2 +6
DIY
or augment old ones during any period of downtime you have.
Replacing both an arm and hand does count as 2 pros-
Beta Prosthetics +1
thetics. Automata Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Automata & Prosthetician specialty
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Sciences
Your prosthetics are quite complex, but they can accomplish quite

Chapter 10
You can build: 2 3 3 3 4 4 a bit. Such prosthetics can be upgraded with 2 more augments
(bringing the total for metal prosthetics up to 5 augmentable
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 slots).
You can build: 4 5 5 5 6 7 You can only apply beta prosthetics to yourself and au-
tomatons that were created by you as either beta (for boilers) or
The Cost of Prosthetics z advanced (for analytics and brainworks) models.
If you need to build prosthetics that you can’t build for free from Aug HP
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. +1 +7
DIY
A prosthetic without augments will cost 25 princes at
market value. If you are building a prosthetic, the prosthetic will Prototype Prosthetics +1
have a base materials cost. It is 1/5th the market price (5 princ- Automata Specialty
es). Requires: 16 skill points in Automata, Prosthetician, & Beta Pros-
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the thetics specialties
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment You’ve perfected your beta prosthetics and made them user-
can be found in the chart below. friendly. Now anybody can use a prosthetic that you designate as
being a prototype.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes 3125 princes
211
 Aug HP
+2 +4
p Universal Prosthetic Augments M
DIY
Automata Tinkerer +1
Automata Specialty
Requires: 3 skill points in Automata & Prosthetician specialty A cid S prayer
You can augment all pieces of your automatons - from their eyes
to their ears to their torsos. You can learn augments for every part Universal Prosthetic Augment
of the automaton’s body. You can insert doses of alchemical acids into the prosthetic. When
If you have Automata Upgrader, you can use that in used in an unarmed attack, the body part will spray a single dose
conjuction with Automata Tinkerer, causing all of the automa- of acid onto your target. Luckily the acid is held in such a way
ton’s body parts to not cost anything or count against your Do-It- that it will not damage your body part. Depending on the marque
Yourself (DIY) score. of this augment, your body part can hold a certain number of
acid doses. It costs 3 action points to add in a single additional
Aug HP dose of acid.
+2 +4
DIY Maximum of Two Doses
Automata Upgrader +1 Maximum of Three Doses
Automata Specialty Maximum of Four Doses
Requires: 3 skill points in Automata & Prosthetician specialty
Maximum of Six Doses
You’ve tinkered and played with your automatons so much that Note: For the crafting of acids, see Alchemy.
you no longer use your Do-It-Yourself (DIY) score to determine
how many of your automaton’s limbs you can upgrade. Whenever
you are augmenting the default limbs of your automatons, those A ir B laster
limbs do not count against the maximum number of prosthetics
you can create. Universal Prosthetic Augment
Aug HP Resist: Brute (marques down)
+1 +7 Activation Cost: 1 AP
DIY
Nerve Crafting +1
Powerful ventilators have been built into your body part, allowing
you to blow a strong, concentrated stream of pure air straight at
Automata Specialty an opponent within your 25 feet of range. They cannot evade your
Requires: 7 skill points in Automata & Prosthetician specialty air blast, but they can resist with their Brute.
It is normally impossible to attach a prosthetic arm to one’s Your target is pushed back 5 feet
ribcage, or a prosthetic hand to one’s spine. You, however, have
learned how to create nerve endings in a person where none Your target is pushed back 5 feet
should exist. You may now apply extra prosthetics to a person Your target is pushed back 10 feet
beyond what they could normally handle (allowing you to add a
third arm, an extra hand, maybe even another leg). Your target is pushed back 15 feet
When you nerve craft somebody, they permanently lose
1 wound in order to gain the prosthetic. They gain the wound A ir C onditioner
back if they surgically remove the prosthetic.
HP Universal Prosthetic Augment
Aug
+2 +7 Requires: Prosthetic with the Air Blaster augment
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DIY
Chapter 10

Activation Cost: 1 AP (see below)

Sensory Builder +1 You are able to superheat or supercool the air from your air blast-
Automata Specialty er, causing it to deal either heat or freezing damage whenever
Requires: Prosthetician specialty you use it, in addition to its normal effects. For one action point,
you can switch your air blaster between heat and freezing dam-
Some of the most difficult things to create prosthetics for are age or turn the effects of this augment on and off. The damage
one’s ears and eyes, but you’ve learned the craft. You may now is soakable.
create prosthetics for ears and eyes, and they count against your
maximum crafting amount of prosthetics based on your Do-It- 2 heat or freezing damage
Yourself (DIY) score.
4 heat or freezing damage
6 heat or freezing damage
8 heat or freezing damage

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A ir T unnel C old I ron
Universal Prosthetic Augment Universal Prosthetic Augment
Requires: Prosthetic with the Air Blaster augment Requires: Body Part must be made of metal & the Freezer Aug-
Your air blaster has been overclocked, causing its normal gust of ment somewhere on subject’s body
wind to become a miniature tornado erupting from your body This prosthetic leaks small amounts of liquid nitrogen diverted
part. Whenever you successfully push back your target with your from your freezer. Whenever someone comes into contact with
air blaster, they are moved an additional 5 feet backwards. In ad- this body part, whether it be them grabbing you or you punch-
dition, this augment increases your air blaster’s range. ing them, they suffer first degree frostbite. This means they will
suffer increased sensitivity to heat and cold lasting until their
5 additional feet of range next breather. This augment deactivates if your freezer is extin-
10 additional feet of range guished. This effect will not stack with multiple exposures to a
cold iron body part.
15 additional feet of range
Target suffers a -3 when resisting effects caused by heat,
20 additional feet of range flames, cold, or ice
Target suffers a -6 when resisting effects caused by heat,
B arbed flames, cold, or ice
Universal Prosthetic Augment Target suffers a -9 when resisting effects caused by heat,
You’ve laced the body part with spikes of your design. Whenever flames, cold, or ice
someone attempts to grab the body part, you get a bonus on your Target suffers a -12 when resisting effects caused by
roll to avoid it. heat, flames, cold, or ice
+2 on the evade roll
+4 on the evade roll C ompartment
+6 on the evade roll Universal Prosthetic Augment
+8 on the evade roll Your prosthetic has a small hollow container inside of it, allowing
the storage of different items. It costs one action point to take an
item out of your compartment.
B rute E nhancement Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Universal Prosthetic Augment despite your skill in automata.
The body part is built for rigidity and power. When the body part
is involved in a brute roll, it gains a bonus.
+2 to Brute
D isguised
Universal Prosthetic Augment
+4 to Brute
The prosthetic is disguised as either being a regular part of the
+6 to Brute body or being covered in something so that it does not appear to
+8 to Brute be mechanical, and is built to be silent and react like a normal
body part. In order to notice your prosthetic for what it truly is,
opponents must roll Cunning.

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Chapter 10
Tier 2 Cunning to notice
Tier 3 Cunning to notice
Tier 3 Cunning to notice
Tier 4 Cunning to notice
Note: Organic body parts act one marque higher than normal. If
this would make it a Marque V, the body part is indistinguishable
from a normal limb unless somebody can get a Tier 5 Cunning
result to notice.

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 F lame E xhausts F urnace
Universal Prosthetic Augment Universal Prosthetic Augment
Requires: Furnace Augment somewhere on subject’s body Fueled by coal or aether, a live flame burns within you. It keeps
Resist: Dexterity (marques down) your entire body warm, allowing you to take no penalties in sub-
zero environments. If the body part gets splashed with water it
Activation Cost: 3 AP will automatically extinguish the flames inside. It costs 1 action
Exhausts protrude from the prosthetic, flames periodically leak- point to extinguish the furnace yourself, and it will cost action
ing out of them. For three action points you cause the body part points to reactivate your furnace when extinguished depending
to spray flames onto everyone adjacent to you to set them on fire, on the augment’s marque.
although they can still attempt to resist the attack. You cannot
activate your flame exhausts if your furnace is extinguished. 2 AP to reactivate
Tier 1 Burning: 2 unsoakable damage per turn, 2 AP to 1 AP to reactivate
put out the fire 0 AP to reactivate
Tier 1 Burning: 2 unsoakable damage per turn, 2 AP to 0 AP reflexively to reactivate (can do out of turn)
put out the fire
Note: Your furnace is self-contained and will not burn you, though
Tier 2 Burning: 4 unsoakable damage per turn, 4 AP to you cannot apply the furnace augment to a wooden prosthetic.
put out the fire, wooden and cloth items destroyed
Tier 3 Burning: 8 unsoakable damage per turn, 8 AP to
put out the fire, wooden and cloth items destroyed G lowing
Universal Prosthetic Augment
F reeze E xhausts Your prosthetic shines through the darkness either from a glow-
in-the-dark coating, numerous lightbulbs placed in it, or another
Universal Prosthetic Augment source of built-in light. Light shines outward from you, dispelling
Requires: Freezer augment somewhere on subject’s body darkness and allowing those within its range to see normally. This
can be activated and repressed for 1 action point.
Resist: Brute (marques down)
Activation Cost: 3 AP Light extends to spaces adjacent to you
Exhausts protrude from the prosthetic, icy mist periodically leak- Light extends outwards up to 10 feet away
ing out of it. For three action points you cause the body part to
spray this mist onto everyone adjacent to you, although they can Light extends outwards up to 15 feet away
still attempt to resist the attack. This mist causes your target’s Light extends outwards up to 20 feet away
body temperature to rapidly drop, making them sluggish until the
start of your next turn. You cannot activate your freeze exhausts
if your freezer is extinguished. H idden B lade
Target suffers a -2 to evade Universal Prosthetic Augment
Target suffers a -4 to evade Requires: Prosthetic augmented with Weapon Mounting
Target suffers a -6 to evade The prosthetic has a secret weapon hidden inside that can flip
out at a moment’s notice. For no action point cost, you can now
Target suffers a -8 to evade retract your weapon into your body, as long as the weapon would
normally be concealable.
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Chapter 10

Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the

F reezer purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Universal Prosthetic Augment despite your skill in automata.
A cooler filled with liquid nitrogen has been built into your pros-
thetic. This keeps your body cool even in the hottest of environ- H idden C laymore
ments. However, if the body part is hit by an attack dealing heat
damage, the liquid nitrogen inside will evaporate rapidly, extin- Universal Prosthetic Augment
guishing your freezer. It costs 1 action point to extinguish the Requires: Prosthetic augmented with Hidden Blade
freezer yourself, and it will cost action points to reactivate your
freezer when extinguished depending on the augment’s marque. The prosthetic can fit an enormous weapon inside it by breaking
down its key components. For no action point cost you can now
2 AP to reactivate retract your weapon into your body, even if the weapon would
1 AP to reactivate normally not be concealable.
0 AP to reactivate Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
0 AP reflexively to reactivate (can do out of turn) despite your skill in automata.

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H ot I ron P recision
Universal Prosthetic Augment Universal Prosthetic Augment
Requires: Prosthetic must be made of metal & the Furnace aug- The body part is built for precision and flexibility. When the body
ment somewhere on subject’s body part is involved in a Dexterity roll, it gains a bonus.
As long as fire burns within your body, it constantly heats up +2 to Dexterity
this body part, making it burn to the touch. Whenever someone
comes into contact with this body part, whether it be them grab- +4 to Dexterity
bing you or you punching them, they take a small amount of heat
damage. This doesn’t apply if your furnace is extinguished. +6 to Dexterity
+8 to Dexterity
2 heat damage
4 heat damage
6 heat damage
R einforced
Universal Prosthetic Augment
8 heat damage
The prosthetic is strengthened with internal plating, granting it a
resist against called shots.
O verglow +4 to resist when struck
Universal Prosthetic Augment +8 to resist when struck
Requires: Prosthetic with the Glowing Augment
+12 to resist when struck
Resist: Cunning (marques down)
Activation Cost: 1 AP +16 to resist when struck
Light erupts from your prosthetic, arcing toward a single target
within 25 feet with the potential to blind them (giving them a -4 R emovable
on accuracy and evade rolls). They can resist with their cunning
attribute. Universal Prosthetic Augment
The prosthetic is easily removable and replacable. If other body
Blinds for one turn parts are connected to it (e.g. if this is placed on the arm, and a
Blinds for two turns hand is attached to the arm) they are removed along with this
body part.
Blinds for three turns
Blinds for four turns 4 AP to remove
3 AP to remove
P oison I njector 2 AP to remove
Universal Prosthetic Augment 1 AP to remove
You can insert doses of alchemical poison into the prosthetic.
When used in an unarmed attack, a single dose of the poisons S mokestack
held inside will automatically inject themselves into your target.
Depending on the marque of this augment, your body part can Universal Prosthetic Augment

Sciences
Chapter 10
hold a certain number of poison doses. It costs 3 action points to Requires: Furnace augment or Freezer augment somewhere on
add in a single additional dose of poison. subject’s body
Maximum of 1 Dose R esist: Cunning (negates)
Activation Cost: 1 AP (see below)
Maximum of 2 Doses
A chimney or metal gratings constantly release clouds of smoke
Maximum of 3 Doses or fog from your furnace. This cloud billows out around you,
Maximum of 4 Doses making you and those within a certain range completely blinded.
This will instantly end if your furnace or freezer is extinguished.
Note: For the crafting of poisons, see Alchemy. You can spend one action point to start your smokescreen or to
adjust the range of the cloud from affecting characters adjacent
to you up to its maximum range detailed by the marque of this
augment.
Only characters adjacent to you are blinded
Anyone up to 10 feet of you are blinded
Anyone up to 15 feet of you are blinded
Anyone up to 20 feet of you are blinded

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 W eapon M ounting p Prosthetic Hand Augments M
Universal Prosthetic Augment
A weapon of some kind can be mounted into the prosthetic in
such a way that in order to sunder or disarm the weapon, the body F lame P ores
part itself must be sundered or removed. The weapon can be re- Prosthetic Hand Augment
moved or put into the weapon mounting for 1 action point.
Requires: Furnace augment somewhere on subject’s body
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment Activation Cost: 1 AP (after a successful unarmed attack)
despite your skill in automata. Holes in the limb make it expel flames from your furnace when it
is used in an unarmed strike. As long as your furnace isn’t extin-

p Prosthetic Arm Augments M

guished, you can spend 1 action point after a successful unarmed
attack in order to burn your target. Multiple burns caused by
your flame pores will not stack the penalties to a single target’s
defense. These burns will go away during the foe’s next breather.
E xtendable H and Tier 1 Burns (-1 on all defense rolls)
Prosthetic Arm Augment Tier 2 Burns (-3 on all defense rolls)
Requires: placed on an arm with an attached hand
Tier 3 Burns (-5 on all defense rolls)
The hand attached to your augmented appendage can now be
extended outward, whether it be with springs, hydraulics, or some Tier 4 Burns (-7 on all defense rolls)
other such method. It costs one action point to extend a limb but
no action points to retract it. Extended hands function as normal,
able to do anything they normally could do. F reezing P ores
+5 feet of reach Prosthetic Hand Augment
+10 feet of reach Requires: Freezer augment somewhere on subject’s body
Activation Cost: 1 AP (after a successful unarmed called shot)
+10 feet of reach
Holes in the limb make it expel small streams of subzero mist
+15 feet of reach from your freezer which will freeze solid on impact when used
in an unarmed attack. As long as your freezer isn’t extinguished,
this makes unarmed called shots with this limb ice over the part
G rasper of your target you hit. This ice will temporarily impede the use
of extremities, making called shot effects to extremities (hands,
Prosthetic Arm Augment feet, head) last longer.
A grasper is a small set of pincers that can wield an item just
like a hand. A grasper is not dexterous enough to wield items in Effects of the called shot last an additional turn
conjunction with other limbs, preventing it from being able to use Effects of the called shot last two additional turns
two-handed items.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur- Effects of the called shot last three additional turns
poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment Effects of the called shot last four additional turns
despite your skill in automata.

H and -L auncher
Sciences
Chapter 10

Prosthetic Hand Augment

Activation Cost: 2 AP
You are able to fire your hand at an opponent, dealing large
amounts of damage, though you do not retain the body part if
you fire it (at least until you go find it). The range of your hand
is 50 feet.
Damage class 3
Damage class 4
Damage class 5
Damage class 6

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N euromuscular I ncapacitator p Prosthetic Leg Augments M
Prosthetic Hand Augment
Resist: Brute (marques down)
An electrical current covering your body part disrupts voluntary
E xtreme S peed
muscular control of anyone you hit it with during an unarmed Prosthetic Leg Augment
attack. The appendage is streamlined for speed, allowing the user to
Your target vibrates for a second, but is otherwise fine have greater overland velocity.
Your target is stunned for one action point +5 speed
Your target is stunned for one action point +5 speed
Your target is stunned for two action points +10 speed
+15 speed
P ropellers
Prosthetic Hand Augment S prings
Your prosthetic is built with propellers for moving across water, Prosthetic Leg Augment
allowing your swim speed to increase based on its marque. Your By melding high-tension springs into your graft, its user gains
swim speed is still hindered by your armor. extra height whenever jumping or leaping.
+10 swim speed +5 feet jump height
+15 swim speed +10 feet jump height
+20 swim speed +15 feet jump height
+25 swim speed +20 feet jump height

R etractable P ropellers
Prosthetic Hand Augment Prosthetic Leg Augment
Requires: Hand-Launcher augment applied to the hand Your prosthetic is built with propellers for moving across water,
You can have your hand tethered to a rope or chain that automati- allowing your swim speed to increase based on its marque. Your
cally returns to you after being fired. Though you do not have to swim speed is still hindered by your armor.
do anything, it does take a little bit of time before the hand re-
turns to you. +10 swim speed
Returns within 3 AP +15 swim speed
Returns within 2 AP +20 swim speed
Returns within 1 AP +25 swim speed
Returns immediately

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217
 Automaton-Specific P oison G as E picenter
While all prosthetic augments can be applied to automatons, Automaton Torso Augment
the following augments (which would augment an automaton’s Takes up 2 Augment Slots on the Torso
head, torso, or groin) cannot be applied to living people. Thus, Activation Cost: 1 AP
these are automaton-specific augments that you’ll need the Au- You can insert a single vial of alchemical gas into the automaton’s
tomaton Tinkerer specialty for. torso. Once you activate this augment, the gas starts taking effect.
When you end your turn, the gas releases from the automaton’s
p Automaton Head Augments M torso, affecting those around the automaton. This allows the au-
tomaton to move the gas around the battlefield. The automaton
serves as the center of the gas’s area of effect, although through
clever crafting the automaton doesn’t have to worry about the gas
S ensory T ransmission spraying onto itself. The gas lasts as long as it normally would.
Automaton Head Augment The amount of action points required to refill the gas
supply is based off of the marque of this augment. It costs two
The automaton can broadcast its senses to a single device (often action points to eject a dose of gas before it has run out on its
held by the user) for 1 action point. The distance it can broadcast own. This will cause it to stay in the space the automaton is cur-
is determined by the marque of the augment. rently standing in and will no longer move with the automaton.
Up to 200 feet away 3 AP to refill gas chamber
Up to 2,000 feet away 3 AP to refill gas chamber
Up to 2 miles away 2 AP to refill gas chamber
Up to 20 miles away 1 AP to refill gas chamber

p Automaton Torso Augments M

Note: For the crafting of gases, see Alchemy.

P oison G as R eceptor
B ack -P ack Automaton Torso Augment
Automaton Torso Augment Requires: Torso with the Poison Gas Epicenter augment
The automaton has the ability to latch onto an ally’s back, acting You’ve upgraded your gas dispenser to hold extra doses of al-
as the ally’s backpack. This leaves all of the automaton’s limbs chemical gases. You still can only release one gas at a time.
free to act as normal while the ally carries the automaton around.
The automaton cannot move while being carried. It takes 1 turn Maximum of Two Doses
for the automaton to become a back-pack or unpack itself and Maximum of Three Doses
move under its own power again.
Maximum of Four Doses
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment Maximum of Six Doses
despite your skill in automata.
S ensor A rray
M ass P ropulsion
Sciences
Chapter 10

Automaton Torso Augment

Automaton Torso Augment You’ve crafted a sensor array into your automaton’s torso. This
Using a propeller, steamjet, or some other such device attached to allows you to place automaton head augments on the torso as
the torso’s back, your subject is able to increase their thrust while well as the ability for the automaton to see and hear through its
moving. While this cannot give you the ability to fly, it grants bo- torso.
nuses to both land and flight movement speeds. Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
+5 feet per move despite your skill in automata.
+10 feet per move
+15 feet per move
+20 feet per move

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 Chapter 10

219
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 p Bio-Flux M
Bio-flux is the craft of scientifically altering a creature’s basic physiology. Essence
warping, genetic restructuring, and basic external flesh augmentations make up the
bulk of this science. This is an often grueling and taboo process that has yet to
become perfected and often leaves its subjects with unintentional side effects and
scars. These can be as subtle as an unexpected change in eye color to as drastic as a
reformed central nervous system.
In its younger years this school of science birthed both the satyr race and the
farishtaa-conversion process. It has revolutionized the medical fields, wiping out all
birth-defects and genetic diseases from those able to afford it. Even at its most basic
levels, bio-flux has the ability to fill a downtrodden gentleman with energy to keep
him awake and ready for action regardless of how badly he had been knocked down.

p Invigoration Specialties M
Reputation of Bio-Flux Eva HP
In addition to the sometimes monstrous consequenc- +1 +8
Def
es of augmenting someone’s genetic code, the process
of bio-flux requires large amounts of essence to use
Bio-Invigoration +3
as a pallet. Most bio-flux scientists harvest this raw Bio-Flux Specialty
essence from game and livestock animals, though it Cost: 3 AP
must be greatly refined multiple times and even then You’ve crafted a complex light device called a bio-invigorator.
only yields a small amount of low quality essence. This can be worn on any called shot location to avoid having to
hold it while it’s drawn. You can restore hit points during combat
It was only after many less-than-reputable ex- by treating your allies. If you use invigorate on an ally, you must
perimentations that it was discovered that sentient be- be adjacent to them.
ings produce the purest essence available. These stud- You can treat yourself, but you can only heal half as
ies led to the widespread superstition that essence was many of your own hit points as you would if you were healing
Sciences
Chapter 10

more than primordial genetic material but a collection another person. You cannot use Bio-Invigoration to restore hit
of personality and memories: a person’s soul. A dis- points to an automaton or other nonliving being.
dain grew among the populous against bio-flux, gain- restores 6 hit points (3 of your own)
ing its more fervent practioners the nickname of Soul restores 12 hit points (6 of your own)
Merchants. Further outcry against the science came
when the crown princess of Evangless went mad af- restores 18 hit points (9 of your own)
ter being bio-revivified back to life. Unable to cope restores 24 hit points (12 of your own)
with scrambled memories and mental inconsistencies
caused by the process, the princess’s mind became
splintered, causing many government officials from
around the world to ban bio-flux research. These days
pure essence is a rare commodity that forces most, if
not all, wishing to follow this forsaken art to turn to
the darker corners of Rilausia to further their studies.

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 Eva HP Aug HP
+1 +9 +2 +6
Pri DIY
Bio-Invigoration Expert +3 Manipulate Essence +1
Bio-Flux Specialty Bio-Flux Specialty
Requires: Bio-Invigoration specialty You have gained the knowledge and skill to manipulate a crea-
You optimize your bio-invigorator. When you use bio-invigora- ture’s essence. Using a bit of pure base essence, you are able to
tion, you now restore hit points based on this chart: modify genetics during downtime.
Without spending any money, you can maintain several
restores 10 hit points (5 of your own) people with essence manipulations based on your current Do-It-
restores 20 hit points (10 of your own) Yourself (DIY) score. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty,
which can be selected under “essence augments” below. These
restores 30 hit points (15 of your own) augments have marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque
restores 40 hit points (20 of your own) I augments. As your skill in Bio-Flux improves, your marques will
increase. See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter
Eva HP for more information.
+1 +8 Every person can be upgraded with 3 essence manipu-
Spd
Quickshot Bio-Invigoration +5
lations. Sometimes an augment will take up multiple augment
slots. For example, the “regeneration” augment is worth 2 slots,
Bio-Flux Specialty so a person only has 1 more available slot for an augment after
Requires: Bio-Invigoration specialty “regeneration” has been applied.
Cost: 2 AP You have the ability to remove essence augments off of
people during downtime as well.
Combat doesn’t wait for the slow bio-invigorator. You may now
use bio-invigoration for only 2 action points. Number of Augmented People you can Maintain z
Eva HP Without needing to buy workshop space or essence, you can ma-
+1 +11 nipulate a few people without spending anything. These people
Wnd must be constantly maintained by you and their essence reverts
Medical Marvel +1 back to normal soon after leaving your care, thus losing all of
their augments. You may manipulate and maintain a number of
Bio-Flux Specialty people based on your DIY score. You may manipulate or re-aug-
Requires: Bio-Invigoration specialty ment people during any period of downtime you have.
You can heal beyond a person’s maximum hit points. If you over-
heal somebody, the excess hit points stays with them until the end Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
of their turn (when their action points refresh). If their excess hit You can build: 2 2 3 3 3 3
points are damaged, then that damage is simply negated.
For example, you use bio-invigoration on a friend who Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
has a maximum of 50 hit points. He is over-healed, granting him You can build: 3 4 4 4 4 5
5 extra hit points. Before the end of his next turn, he is stabbed
by an attack that deals 4 hit points, leaving him at 51. His turn
ends, and his hit points are reduced to 50, effectively leaving him The Cost of Essence Manipulations z
unharmed. Essence is a volatile and often illegal substance. Bio-flux special-
ists are ostracized from their community and their manipulations
Acc HP only carried out in the black market. Because of that, the Trust
+1 +11 (the world’s economic caretaker) does not regulate the cost of
Eva essence manipulations. Nonetheless, an essence manipulator will
Self-Administer

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Chapter 10
+1 still need to pay for the materials of an essence manipulation they
Bio-Flux Specialty choose to do. They can, however, get away with charging what-
Requires: Bio-Invigoration specialty ever they’d like for the actual manipulation.
Though the bio-invigorator was originally difficult to use on If you need to manipulate essence that you can’t do for
yourself, you’ve outfitted it to work on yourself efficiently. When free from your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it.
you use bio-invigoration on yourself, you heal just as much as you Every augment increases the market price of the es-
would restore of another’s hit points. sence manipulation. The higher the marque, the greater the price.
The market price for an augment can be found in the chart below.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes 6250 princes
If you are manipulating the augment, you pay 1/5th the price,
which is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque
lower. (As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the
market price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a
Marque 1 augment is 10 princes.

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 Aug HP
+2 +6

p Essence Augments M
DIY
Beta Essence +1
Bio-Flux Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Bio-Flux & Manipulate Essence specialty A erodynamize
You know your own essence well enough to safely twist it and
strengthen it enough to add additional modification onto it. You Essence Augment
may now act as though your essence have two additional slots. Your body and features become sleek and slender with curved
HP edges so the wind will always flow with your movements.
Aug
+2 +6 +5 movement speed
DIY
Prototype Essence +1 +10 movement speed
Bio-Flux Specialty +10 movement speed
Requires: 16 skill points in Bio-Flux, Manipulate Essence, & Beta +15 movement speed
Essence specialties
You are now able to manipulate other creatures as well as you
manipulate yourself. You may now treat other creatures as though A cidic B lood
they had 2 additional slots when manipulating their essence.
Essence Augment
Eva HP The blood within your veins is now dark and corrosive. This
+1 +7 highlights your veins, making them dark and easily visible. When
Aug
Fast Manipulation +2
you recieve bleeding damage from a melee attack, the person in-
flicting the damage suffers an equal amount of soakable damage
Bio-Flux Specialty from being sprayed by your blood as long as they are adjacent to
Requires: 6 skill points in Bio-Flux & Manipulate Essence specialty you.
Resist: Spirit (negates) Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Cost: 3 AP despite your skill in bio-flux.
You are able to use advanced tools in order to quickly manipulate
essence on the battlefield. However, because of the haste of these
manipulations, they only last until the subject’s next breather. A cidic Spit
If the subject so chooses, they may roll a spirit resist Essence Augment
against your bio-flux to negate the manipulation.
Cost: 1 AP
Def HP
+9 Your saliva has been changed to become tar-like and acidic. For
+2 1 action point, you can make a ranged attack using your acidic
Aug
Body Renewal +1 saliva. This attack has a range of 10 feet and uses strike to deter-
mine damage.
Bio-Flux Specialty
Requires: Manipulate Essence specialty damage class 1
Cost: 3 AP damage class 2
By applying just the right amount of essence to a wounded area, damage class 3
you are able to trigger a muscle memory that reverts the subject’s
Sciences
Chapter 10

body back to an undamaged state. You may spend 3 action points damage class 4
to heal your subject of one wound point or one effect caused from
them (broken bones, blinded, lost senses, et cetera).
A mphibious
Aug HP
+9 Essence Augment
+1
Wnd You sprout gills and your lungs gain the ability to extract oxygen
Gene Therapy +1 from water naturally. You can now breathe while underwater.
Bio-Flux Specialty Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
Requires: 16 skill points in Bio-Flux, Manipulate Essence, & Body purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Renewal specialties despite your skill in bio-flux.
You force a living subject’s body to painfully regrow a severed
body part or critically injured body part. Once per downtime, you
are able to remove a lasting Fatal Effect from your subject.

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B ody of Flames E nergize
Essence Augment Essence Augment
The skin on your body is unnaturally warm to the touch, to the Your body chemistry has been modified to grant you a seemingly
point that it slightly burns those who touch you. This causes your endless supply of energy. Because of this you rarely feel tired and
skin to have a slight red tinge and your hair to lighten. always shake when sitting still.
When being grabbed or grabbing, victims take 1 heat +3 hit points
damage per turn +6 hit points
When being grabbed or grabbing, victims take 2 heat +9 hit points
damage per turn
When being grabbed or grabbing, victims take 3 heat +12 hit points
damage per turn
When being grabbed or grabbing, victims take 4 heat E xcess A drenaline
damage per turn
Essence Augment
Takes up 3 Essence Slots on a Person
Chameleon Your body has been modified to produce and use twice the
Essence Augment amount of adrenaline of a normal being. While this does speed
you up temporarily, it exhausts you immediately afterwards. You
Cost: 1 AP (see below) are able to gain additional action points during a turn; however,
Much like the scales of a lizard, you are able to change both the you are stunned for an equal number of action points when your
color and texture of your skin and hair. For one action point you action points refresh. In other words, you’re stealing action points
may undergo this change. away from your next turn.
+2 to Cunning rolls when hiding without clothing or You can gain 1 action point
disguising yourself You can gain up to 2 action points
+4 to Cunning rolls when hiding without clothing or You can gain up to 2 action points
disguising yourself
+6 to Cunning rolls when hiding without clothing or You can gain up to 3 action points
disguising yourself
+8 to Cunning rolls when hiding without clothing or E xoskeleton
disguising yourself
Essence Augment
Your bones thicken and elongate, some slightly jutting out of
Chloroplast your body. This makes them harder to damage and even more
difficult to break.
Essence Augment
You are able to survive with only a bit of sunlight and water due +2 to Brute when resisting a called shot
to large amounts of chloroplasts in your cells. Unfortunately it’s +4 to Brute when resisting a called shot
not easy being green, as your appearance becomes splotched with
patches of green skin. +6 to Brute when resisting a called shot

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Chapter 10
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the +8 to Brute when resisting a called shot
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in bio-flux.
Flame Retardant
E lectric Flow Essence Augment
Your skin becomes a darkened charcoal color that is less likely to
Essence Augment ignite or burn. You are never denied your defense roll when on
Thin strains of static electricity flow across your body. When at- fire. You also gain extra soak against damage from being on fire
tacked by electricity, these strains help dissipate the electricity, and any other damage from fire.
allowing you to defend against electrical attacks as per normal.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the You gain a +2 soak against fire
purposes of determining cost. You gain a +3 soak against fire
You gain a +4 soak against fire
You gain a +5 soak against fire

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 Flaming B reath L ead B lood
Essence Augment Essence Augment
Cost: 2 AP Your blood is made of molten metal, solidifying into small pellets
You’ve grown an extra gland in your thoat that allows you to expel after leaving your body. Drops of your blood can thus be used
flames from your mouth. For 2 action points, you may make a as crude ammunition for firearms. It causes you no damage and
ranged attack using your fiery saliva. This attack has a range of costs no action points to bleed out bullets, although your firearm
10 feet, and uses strike to determine damage. must still be readied with them.
damage class 3 -3 Accuracy when used as ammo
damage class 4 -2 Accuracy when used as ammo
damage class 5 -1 Accuracy when used as ammo
damage class 6 No accuracy penalty when used as ammo

G enetic Stability L imitless M emory

Essence Augment Essence Augment
Your essence has been solidified to a point that bio-fluxing your Small flashing lights coming from the inside of your head skitter
essence is a gruelling, painful ordeal. This augment negates any across your crown, a visible sign of the massive amount of in-
cosmetic changes caused by other augments your essence has. formation processing going on inside the left side of your brain.
+4 when resisting a Bio-Zapper +3 to the Sciences attribute
+8 when resisting a Bio-Zapper +6 to the Sciences attribute
+12 when resisting a Bio-Zapper +9 to the Sciences attribute
+16 when resisting a Bio-Zapper +12 to the Sciences attribute

I ron L ung L uminescent

Essence Augment Essence Augment
Your lungs have adapted to filter anything you breathe in, allow- You cause your essence to radiate light, making your entire body
ing you to breathe normally even when surrounded by noxious glow. This light extends only so far.
gases. It lights the area adjacent to you
+4 to Brute when resisting anything you inhale It lights up the area 10 feet around you
+8 to Brute when resisting anything you inhale It lights up the area 15 feet around you
+12 to Brute when resisting anything you inhale It lights up the area 20 feet around you
+16 to Brute when resisting anything you inhale
M arathon B ody
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Chapter 10

Essence Augment
Jellyskin Your body has been enriched to take a beating. This change has
Essence Augment made you thick and stocky.
Your skin is exceptionally flexible and holds shape when you Your maximum number of wounds is increased by 1
move it, allowing you to change the structure of your face more
easily. Any time you are attempting to disguise yourself, you Your maximum number of wounds is increased by 2
may gain a bonus to your roll. However, when you are nudged, Your maximum number of wounds is increased by 3
punched, or attacked, your face retains dents until you can fix
your appearance. Your maximum number of wounds is increased by 4
+3
+5
+7
+9

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M etal Exoskeleton Osmote
Essence Augment Essence Augment
Requires: Exoskeleton augment Requires: Jellyskin augment
Your exoskeleton is made of natural metal armoring, weighing Your body is capable of actually absorbing the body of an op-
you down but acting as a natural kind of armor. You may act as if ponent. When you successfully grapple or grab an opponent, your
you were wearing any kind of armor on your body permanently, skin sinks through their armor and they automatically begin to
so if you armor is broken or destroyed, you still act as if you are take unsoakable damage. Your body is partially transparent and
wearing armor. your solid organs bend like rubber. When you absorb organic ma-
Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the terial, it counts as eating.
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment 2 unsoakable damage per turn
despite your skill in bio-flux.
3 unsoakable damage per turn
N eedles 4 unsoakable damage per turn
5 unsoakable damage per turn
Essence Augment
Cost: same as a Light Throwing Weapon attack (generally 2 AP)
Small porcupine needles quickly grow out of your body. You can O verflow
throw some of your needles at a single target with a damage class Essence Augment
of 3 without the need to be drawn.
Your skin tone, regardless of its color, takes on a more vibrant,
10 feet of range healthy shade than it previously had. You find it increasingly easy
15 feet of range to focus and feel more in tune with yourself.
20 feet of range +2 on all spirit resists
25 feet of range +4 on all spirit resists
+6 on all spirit resists
N obotic +8 on all spirit resists
Essence Augment
Resist: Cunning (see below) P erformance Enhancer
Your body appears to be made out of metal, making you appear Essence Augment
to be some kind of robot when you aren’t. You gain a bonus to You instantly swell with muscles all over your body, feeling stron-
Cunning against anyone using Notice on you when you’re trying ger than usual.
to hide the fact that you’re an organic being.
+5, your body appears to be metallic +1 Brute
+10, your metallic body is angular and disproportionate +2 Brute
+15, your metallic body appears to be made of separate +3 Brute
parts bolted together +4 Brute

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Chapter 10
+20, your metallic body looks machine-made with soul-
less eyes, emitting clear water vapor instead of sweat
Regeneration
Essence Augment
Takes up 2 Essence Slots on a Person
Your body has been modified to heal at a much faster rate than
normal. The areas where you’ve taken wounds damage now have
yellow skin blemishes. Along with this accelerated wound recov-
ery, lingering wound effects are removed twice as fast.
You recover 1 additional wound per day
You recover 2 additional wounds per day
You recover 3 additional wounds per day
You recover 4 additional wounds per day

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 Scaleskin to recover from fatigue and regain hit points during breathers.
Thick ringlets form around your eyes.
Essence Augment Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
Takes up 2 Essence Slots on a Person purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Your skin mutates into thick scales, the outer layer of your grafts despite your skill in bio-flux.
taking on a bumpy texture. This gives you a small amount of
natural armoring.
Slimy
+1 soak class
Essence Augment
+2 soak class Your sweat glands naturally secrete a thin layer of grease, making
+3 soak class it easier to slip out of grabs.
+4 soak class +4 to Dexterity when trying to break a grab
+8 to Dexterity when trying to break a grab
Scoped Vision +12 to Dexterity when trying to break a grab
Essence Augment +16 to Dexterity when trying to break a grab
This modification manipulates your browline, making it more
narrow and focused. Your vision is radically enhanced granting,
you the ability to see things others often overlook. Stonebones
+4 to Notice Essence Augment
Your bones have been augmented to be as hard as steel. Your
+8 to Notice bones may not be severed or broken. If you receive a fatal effect
+12 to Notice which would normally remove a limb, your limb stays attached.
However you still suffer all other negative effects of the fatal ef-
+16 to Notice fect. This makes your bones thicker and heavier, reducing your
movement speed.
Semi -Transparent Skin -10 feet of movement speed
Essence Augment -10 feet of movement speed
While making your skin partially see-through to reveal the in- -5 feet of movement speed
ner workings of your body is horrifying to most, this serves as a
useful tool for doctors trying to figure out what ails their patient. movement speed is unaffected
When being diagnosed, the person performing the diagnosis
gains a bonus on their roll.
Vile Fumes
+4 to being diagnosed
Essence Augment
+8 to being diagnosed Cost: 3 AP
+12 to being diagnosed Your body expels an odor that causes those around you to be-
+16 to being diagnosed come nauseated. For 3 action points, you may intensify these
gases, forcing all those adjacent to you to make a Brute resist or
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Chapter 10

become disoriented for a turn.

Sixth Sense tier 2 brute resist
Essence Augment tier 3 brute resist
The frontal lobe of your brain has been enlarged, giving you the tier 3 brute resist
ability to sense impending danger. This change in your brain
chemistry causes you to have frequent headaches. tier 4 brute resist
+2 priority
+4 priority Wall -Crawler
+6 priority Essence Augment
+8 priority Much like a gecko, your hands and feet are covered in small in-
dentures that aid in climbing. You may climb on any ceiling or
wall in any direction as per your normal movement speed.
Sleepless Note: This augment always acts as marque III for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Essence Augment despite your skill in bio-flux.
You no longer have a need to sleep, although you still must rest

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Crafting Bio-Zappers
For years bio-flux scientists experimented, attempting to find a way to affect somebody’s essence in a matter of seconds
rather than spending hours in surgery. Eventually, bio-zappers came about: a device that vaguely resembles a gun, but
blasts out a ray that instantly morphs the target’s essence. The change doesn’t last very long, but, in a battle, it definitely
gets the job done.
A normal bio-zapper comes as a heavy weapon that looks like an advanced firearm. You point it at somebody
within 25 feet and pull the trigger (just like a ranged attack costing 2 action points). You roll your accuracy and they roll
their evade. If you meet or exceed their evade, you hit them with the bio-zapper.
You choose the setting on your bio-zapper. (Without a setting, the bio-zapper does nothing). The effect will last
until the target’s next breather. You can change the setting on your bio-zapper in order to gain different effects. Switching
between settings costs 1 action point. If you hit somebody with a new bio-zapper setting, the new effect replaces the old
one.

Aug HP
+2 +4
DIY
Bio-Zapper Developer +1 The Cost of Bio-Zappers z
Bio-Flux Specialty If you need to build a bio-zapper that you can’t build for free
You can now create the battle-ready, essence-manipulating bio- from your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it.
zapper and use it in battle. Every augment increases the market price of the bio-
Without spending any money, you can build and main- zapper. The higher the marque, the greater the price. The market
tain several bio-zappers based on your current Do-It-Yourself price for an augment can be found in the chart below.
(DIY) score. These bio-zappers can then be upgraded with aug-
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be Marque I II III IV
selected under “bio-zapper augments” below. These augments Market Price 40 princes 200 princes 1000 princes 5000 princes
have marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I aug-
ments. As your skill in Bio-Flux improves, your marques will in- If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
crease. See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
for more information. (As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
Each bio-zapper can be upgraded with 3 augments. price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
Some materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden bio- augment is 8 princes.
zappers) or just once (like organic bio-zappers). Sometimes an Aug HP
augment will take up multiple augment slots. If an augment is +2 +4
worth 2 slots, a metal bio-zapper only has 1 more available slot for DIY
an augment after the 2-slot augment has been applied. Beta Bio-Zappers +1

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Chapter 10
Bio-zapper augments come in two varieties: those that Bio-Flux Specialty
augment the bio-zapper (like normal) and bio-zapper settings.
Only one setting can be active at a time, and switching between Requires: 4 skill points in Bio-Flux & Bio-Zapper Developer specialty
settings costs 1 action point. Your bio-zappers are complex pieces of machinery, but they can
Number of Bio-Zappers you can Maintain z do some crazy things compared to most bio-zappers. Such bio-
zappers can be upgraded with 2 more augments (bringing the
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can develop some total for metal bio-zappers up to 5 augmentable slots).
bio-zappers entirely out of scraps. These bio-zappers must be If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
constantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving beta bio-zappers, they must succeed in rolling a sciences result
your care. You may build and maintain a number of bio-zappers one tier higher than the highest marque you have on your bio-
based on your DIY score. You may build new bio-zappers or aug- zapper. If your bio-zapper has a Marque IV augment, it is impos-
ment old ones during any period of downtime you have. sible for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier
result of 5 with their sciences attribute).
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
You can build: 1 1 1 1 2 2
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
You can build: 2 3 3 3 3 4

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 Aug HP Acc HP
+1 +4 +1 +7
DIY Aug
Prototype Bio-Zappers +1 Tracing +1
Bio-Flux Specialty Bio-Flux Specialty
Requires: 16 skill points in Bio-Flux, Bio-Zapper Developer, & Cost: Bio-Zapper Attack +1 AP
Beta Bio-Zappers specialties You hold down the button on you bio-zapper, sending a ray arch-
You’ve perfected your beta bio-zappers and made them user- ing across the battlefield. Then you move your bio-zapper’s ray
friendly. Now anybody can use a bio-zapper that you designate until you hit the target, radically increasing its accuracy and your
as being a prototype. chances of your hitting your target.
Acc HP +4 accuracy
+1 +6
Aug +8 accuracy
Concentrated Stream +2 +12 accuracy
Bio-Flux Specialty +16 accuracy
Cost: Bio-Zapper Attack to initiate and 1 AP to continue in sub-
p Bio-Zapper Augments M
sequent turns
You lock your weapon onto your target, pull the trigger, and don’t
let go. After successfully hitting a target with a bio-zapper, all
subsequent attacks with that bio-zapper automatically hit. You
must spend one action point each turn to continue your ray. If A ccurate
at any point you do not have a clear line of site to your target or Bio-Zapper Augment
either of you moves out of the range of the bio-zapper, this ef-
fect is broken. Fine attention has been placed on the quality of your bio-zapper.
You gain a bonus to accuracy with the bio-zapper.
Aug HP
+2 +4 +1
DIY
Extra Settings +1
+2
Bio-Flux Specialty +3
Your bio-zappers are designed to hold extra settings, effectively +4
giving you extra augment slots to place bio-zapper settings into.
This specialty works within the marque system. The
amount of interchangeable slots the bio-zapper has depends on A rmor -E ncumbering
the marque of its developer. Each extra augment slot increases Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
the price, just like normal, but only a person with this specialty
can access the extra settings. Resist: Dexterity (marques down)
Your bio-zapper makes your target’s body react as if the clothing
1 extra augment slot of a setting on it is much heavier than it actually is. The penalty is greater
2 extra augment slost of a setting depending on how much armor the target is wearing.
3 extra augment slots of a setting -5 speed penalty (heavy or larger armor)
4 extra augment slots of a setting -10 speed penalty (heavy or larger armor) or -5 speed
penalty (light or medium armor)
HP
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Acc
Chapter 10

+1 +6 -15 speed penalty (heavy or larger armor) or -10 speed

Aug penalty (light or medium armor)
Multi-Ray +1 -20 speed penalty (heavy or larger armor) or -15 speed
Bio-Flux Specialty penalty (light or medium armor)
Cost: Bio-Zapper Attack +1 AP
By double tapping your trigger finger, you are able to quickly B lood T hinning
launch off two rays. These rays may be launched at different tar-
gets. Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Acc HP Resist: Brute (marques down)
+1 +6 The victims blood refuses to clot when bleeding.
Aug
Splicer +1 Patching Bleeding now only stops 3 bleeding damage
Bio-Flux Specialty Patching Bleeding now only stops 2 bleeding damage
Your bio-zapper settings don’t replace each other; now, they over- Patching Bleeding now only stops 1 bleeding damage
lap! When you hit an opponent with two different settings, they
both affect the target until the target’s next breather. (If you hit Bleeding can only be stopped when taking a breather
the same target with the same setting twice, there’s no effect.)

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B one S purring D eflecting
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) Bio-Zapper Augment
Resist: Spirit (marques down) You may use this bio-zapper like a shield, allowing you to deflect
The victim’s bones become spiked inside of their bodies. This incoming attacks (gaining a +4 to evade in exchange for 1 reflex-
causes extreme pain when the victim does anything. ive action point).
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
The victim takes 1 unsoakable damage for each action poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
point they spend despite your skill in bio-flux.
The victim takes 1 unsoakable damage for each action
point they spend
The victim takes 2 unsoakable damage for each action
D ebilitating
point they spend Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
The victim takes 2 unsoakable damage for each action Resist: Brute (marques down)
point they spend Your target has sporatic spells of exhaustion, conveniently taking
place right as they try to attack.
C ollapsible -2 on strike rolls
Bio-Zapper Augment -4 on strike rolls
Sometimes discretion is the better part of not having your bio- -6 on strike rolls
zapper confiscated, so you create a clever collapsing mechanism -8 on strike rolls
for your bio-zapper which makes it easier to conceal. Any bio-
zapper this is applied to can be broken down for 3 acion points
and re-assembled for 3 action points. It is treated, for purposes D emoralizing
of concealment, as being smaller than it is, but only when broken
down. Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Cunning (marques down)
1 category smaller
Bio-Zappers on this setting rewrite its victim’s face to resemble a
2 categories smaller cubist painting, making them feel less confident and ugly.
3 categories smaller -2 on Spirit rolls
4 categories smaller -4 on Spirit rolls
-6 on Spirit rolls
C rippling -8 on Spirit rolls
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down)
When hit by a crippling ray, your body becomes weak and sickly.
D iscombobulating
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
-3 on Brute rolls Resist: Spirit (negates, see below)

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-6 on Brute rolls

Chapter 10
Victims hit with rays on this setting have their organs rearranged
-9 on Brute rolls in such a weird way that it becomes impossible for them to re-
cover from wounds damage (but not wounds effects) while under
-12 on Brute rolls its effects.
tier 2 spirit resist to negate
C ustom tier 3 spirit resist to negate
Bio-Zapper Augment tier 3 spirit resist to negate
This bio-zapper was designed to be used by one person and one
person only. That person must be designated at the time of the tier 4 spirit resist to negate
bio-zapper’s crafting. If anybody else attempts to use the custom
bio-zapper, they suffer a penalty on all accuracy rolls with it.
-3
-6
-9
-12

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 E ssence D raining F lesh M elting
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Spirit (marques down) Resist: Brute (marques down)
Victims hit by this ray see their essence slots temporarily shut Flesh melting rays cause the victim’s skin to melt and tear, mak-
down. This not only makes augments to those slots useless but ing all attacks against them more deadly. This cannot lower their
also causes the person to become grotesque like an elf. The per- soak class below zero.
son wielding the bio-zapper chooses which, if any, augments on
the target are deactivated. soak class lowered by 1
1 essence slot is turned off soak class lowered by 2
2 essence slots are turned off soak class lowered by 3
3 essence slots are turned off soak class lowered by 4
4 essence slots are turned off
G rowing
E xhausting Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down)
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) This ray causes the victim to grow just large enough for their ar-
Resist: Spirit (marques down) mor and clothing to become unbearably tight and uncomfortable.
Hitting a victim with a ray on the exhausting setting tires the op- This ray only affects victims in armor.
ponent. A quick blast from one of these ensures the victim will
not be going the distance. -2 on defense rolls
maximum hit points are lowered by 5 -4 on defense rolls
maximum hit points are lowered by 10 -6 on defense rolls
maximum hit points are lowered by 15 -8 on defense rolls
maximum hit points are lowered by 20
H esitating
E xtended R ange Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Spirit (marques down)
Bio-Zapper Augment When hit with this ray, its victim is dropped on the priority list as
Your bio-zapper can hit targets well past 25 feet. they hesitate to act, allowing others to take their turn first. If it
targets up to 50 feet away drops them to the bottom of the priority list, they act there. They
must wait until everyone has taken their turn before going.
targets up to 75 feet away
Dropped 1 priority slot
targets up to 100 feet away
Dropped 2 priority slots
targets up to 150 feet away
Dropped 3 priority slots
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Dropped 4 priority slots

E yelid -F using
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (negates, see below)
H exing
Victims unlucky enough to be in the path of a blinding ray find Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
their eye lids fused together, making it impossible for them the Resist: Spirit (negates, see below)
see anything without drastic actions. For a single action point This ray alters your victim’s body chemistry, causing them to feel
they can deal a point of wounds damage to themselves to rip their drained and demoralized. It forces them to see their own limits.
eyes open. They don’t take a wounds effect for doing so. When effected by this ray, victims may no longer re-roll pure 12s.
tier 2 brute resist to negate tier 2 spirit resist to negate
tier 3 brute resist to negate tier 3 spirit resist to negate
tier 3 brute resist to negate tier 3 spirit resist to negate
tier 4 brute resist to negate tier 4 spirit resist to negate

H indering
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Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) M ulti -S etting
Resist: Brute (marques down)
The victim’s equilibrium is thrown off, making acrobatics and Bio-Zapper Augment
fast movements almost impossible. This augment allows the bio-zapper to be in two settings at once.
This allows you to choose between multiple settings to fire with-
-2 on Dexterity rolls out spending 1 action point to switch between them. You still can
only fire from one setting at a time.
-4 on Dexterity rolls
-6 on Dexterity rolls The zapper may be in 2 settings
-8 on Dexterity rolls The zapper may be in 3 settings
The zapper may be in 4 settings
I ntensity The zapper may be in 5 settings
Bio-Zapper Augment
You have increased your victim’s dosage and in doing so made N ail G rowing
the blast more difficult to resist. Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
The target gets a -2 to resist the ray’s effects Resist: Dexterity (marques down)
The target gets a -4 to resist the ray’s effects The victim’s fingers swell, making it difficult for them to smooth-
ly pull the trigger on a firearm.
The target gets a -6 to resist the ray’s effects
The target gets a -8 to resist the ray’s effects -2 accuracy with a firearm or crossbow
-4 accuracy with a firearm or crossbow
M icro -Z apper -6 accuracy with a firearm or crossbow
-8 accuracy with a firearm or crossbow
Bio-Zapper Augment
You have made your bio-zapper significantly smaller, letting you
wield it as a smaller weapon. N ausea -I nducing
wields as a medium weapon Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
wields as a medium weapon Resist: Brute (negates, see below)
wields as a light weapon Your bio-zapper shakes and rattles your target’s stomach, making
them unsettled and nauseous (-2 to all rolls until 3 action points
wields as a light weapon are spent emptying their stomach).
tier 2 brute resist to negate
M uffling tier 3 brute resist to negate
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) tier 3 brute resist to negate
Resist: Brute (negates, see below) tier 4 brute resist to negate
The victim’s ears melt and fuse with the side of their head caus-

Sciences
ing them to become deafened. For a single action point they can

Chapter 10
deal a point of wounds damage to themselves to rip their ears P erspiring
open. They don’t take a wounds effect for doing so.
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
tier 2 brute resist to negate Resist: Brute (marques down)
tier 3 brute resist to negate Victims hit by a bio-zapper set to perspiring will begin to rapidly
tier 3 brute resist to negate sweat. Their sweaty hands make it very difficult to hold on to any
items and even more difficult to hold on to a person.
tier 4 brute resist to negate
-2 to all disarm resists and maintaining grabs
-4 to all disarm resists and maintaining grabs
-6 to all disarm resists and maintaining grabs
-8 to all disarm resists and maintaining grabs

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 R attling S ilencing
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting) Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down) Resist: Brute (negates, see below)
After being hit by a ray on this setting, the victim’s legs become Victims hit by this ray find their mouths sewn shut, their ability
weak like jelly. Because of this, all called shots to to the legs be- to speak or make any sound stripped from them. In addition,
come much more effective. victims lose the ability to use any specialties with required vocal
components, such as yelling or singing. For a single action point
-2 on resist rolls against the legs they can deal a point of wounds damage to themselves to rip their
-4 on resist rolls against the legs lips open. They don’t take a wounds effect for doing so.
-6 on resist rolls against the legs tier 2 brute resist to negate
-8 on resist rolls against the legs tier 3 brute resist to negate
tier 3 brute resist to negate
R einforced tier 4 brute resist to negate
Bio-Zapper Augment
You build your bio-zapper solidly, giving it little room to break on S ilent
the battlefield. Whenever somebody attempts to sunder the rein-
forced bio-zapper, it acts as if it is several size categories larger Bio-Zapper Augment
than it is. Once these “reinforced” size categories are gone, then This bio-zapper is whispering death. It makes almost no sound
it will actually break. when fired, making it almost impossible for people to figure out
where it is by sound alone. Any time anybody is attempting to
1 reinforced size category figure out where the bio-zapper was shot from based on sound
2 reinforced size categories they must make a tier result with their cunning.
3 reinforced size categories tier 2 cunning to hear
4 reinforced size categories tier 3 cunning to hear
tier 4 cunning to hear
S kin -P apering impossible (unless they can get a tier 5 cunning)
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down) S luggish
Your bio-zapper makes your target’s skin become thinner, less Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
moist, and burn easier.
Resist: Brute (marques down)
-4 on resists against burns Your bio-zapper makes your target’s legs mutate to resemble el-
-8 on resists against burns ephant feet, slowing them down.
-12 on resists against burns speed reduced by 5 feet
-16 on resists against burns speed reduced by 10 feet
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Chapter 10

speed reduced by 15 feet

S kin -I nflaming speed reduced by 20 feet
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down) S tupifying
Your bio-zapper makes your target’s skin secrete a flammable liq- Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
uid. They have a harder time resisting catching on fire.
Resist: Cunning (marques down)
-3 on resists against catching on fire The stupifying setting causes victims to become dazed and unob-
-6 on resists against catching on fire servant. They take a penalty on cunning rolls.
-9 on resists against catching on fire -3 on cunning rolls
-12 on resists against catching on fire -6 on cunning rolls
-9 on cunning rolls
-12 on cunning rolls

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S welling
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down)
This setting creates rays that cause the victim’s called shot loca-
tions to swell to ridiculous sizes. These swollen called shot are
then easier to hit due to their increased size. You must select a
single called shot location to affect when firing your bio-zapper
set to this setting.
+2 accuracy to that called-shot
+4 accuracy to that called-shot
+6 accuracy to that called-shot
+8 accuracy to that called-shot

W eakening
Bio-Zapper Augment (setting)
Resist: Brute (marques down)
The rays fired from this zapper make it difficult for your victim to
lift their weapon, much less harm you with it. The damage class
on any melee attacks the target makes is lowered.
melee damage class lowered by 1
melee damage class lowered by 2
melee damage class lowered by 3
melee damage class lowered by 4

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233
 p Engineer M
Engineering is the creation of vehicles. Engineering is one of the most inclusive skills, for
it involves the creation of everything from flyers to blimps to trains to sailing vessels. With
engineering, you could create walking land machines, a comfortable carriage with a can-
non mounted on top, or a graviton sphere-powered flyer that spews poisonous gas and can
comfortably carry your entire party of stalwart adventures. A couple points in engineering
and soon the world is just a speck below you.

Aug HP
+2 +6
DIY
Maintenance +1
than you have for the turn, you may do so over multiple, non-
consecutive turns. For example, if it requires 7 action points to
Engineer Specialty change out an augment, you could spend 3 action points this
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) turn, and then wait a couple turns before spending the final 4
action points to switch out the augment. However, once you be-
Requires: 2 skill points in Engineer gin changing out parts, the original augment ceases to function
Patch up a few bullet holes here, change the pressure valves over and the new augment does not function until it is completely
there - the job of a mechanic is never done. While in this stance, installed.
you make a series of constant small repairs to the section of the
ship you’re in. This repairs 1 vehicle wound for every 2 points you 10 AP
have in engineering at the end of your turn (when your action 7 AP
points refresh).
4 AP
Aug HP
+1 +6 2 AP
Pri
Power Surge +3 Def
+2
HP
+7
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Chapter 10

Engineer Specialty Aug

Cost: 1 AP
Vehicle Repairs +1
When you’re not the pilot, you may tweak the coolant to grant Engineer Specialty
the vehicle greater movement without overheating. This grants Requires: either Auto-Wright or Manual-Wright specialty
the pilot an additional action point in order to move or steer the Cost: 3 AP
vehicle once more for the turn.
You are capable of repairing any vehicle that you are capable of
Aug HP building. You must be either inside or adjacent to the vehicle in
+2 +5 order to make these repairs.
DIY
Quick Upgrades +1 10 vehicle wounds
Engineer Specialty 20 vehicle wounds
You may switch the parts on a vehicle quickly without waiting for 30 vehicle wounds
downtime. You must know the augment you are about to put onto
the part. You choose which slot(s) to empty and which slot(s) to 40 vehicle wounds
replace. For every slot that you change, you roll your engineer
skill to determine how quickly you do so. You must be adjacent
to the vehicle in order to change its parts.
If changing out the parts requires more action points
234
 p Grease Monkey Specialties M Automatic versus Manual Vehicles
Aug HP
+1 +5 There are two ways of controlling vehicles, automatically pro-
DIY pelled vehicles and those that require manual control.
Gearhead +1 Automatically propelled vehicles (autos) are
Engineer Specialty those that go at a constant speed unless the pilot changes the
direction or speed of the vehicle. Autos typically have propel-
Stance (costs 1 AP to enter) lers, wheels, jets, or sails. Autos have a maximum speed, and
Requires: 2 skill points in Engineering they travel a set distance every turn (typically at the beginning
By constantly regulating steam in-take and graviton rotations, of the pilot’s turn).
you’re able to push a vehicle’s engine to its limits. When in this Manual vehicles (clankers) require the pilot to
stance and either inside or adjacent to a vehicle, the vehicle’s spend action points for every movement. Typically these are
speed increases by 5 feet per 2 skill points you have in Engineer- walking vehicles, where the pilot must move gears and levers
ing. Moving away from the vehicle breaks this stance. every time the clanker wants to move. In effect, every time the
HP pilot spends 1 action point to move the clanker, the clanker
Aug moves its speed.
+1 +6
Eva You’ll find information on autos starting on this page,
Gearjunkie +1 with their augments directly after. After autos, you’ll get infor-
mation on the clankers. Once all of that is done, you can build
Engineer Specialty a vehicle’s hull, providing it with armoring and protection for
Requires: 5 skill points in Engineer & Gearhead specialty those inside.
When you’re working on a vehicle, efficiency is maximized. While
in Gearhead stance, you may also grant a vehicle a +1 on evade
rolls for every 5 points you have in engineer.

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235
 Crafting Vehicles Aug
+2
HP
+4
DIY
Auto-Wright +1
If you are building the augment outside of your DIY Score, you
pay 1/5th the price, which is the same as if you were buying an
Engineer Specialty augment one marque lower. (As in, the material cost for a Marque
Automatically propelled vehicles are ideal at getting adventurers III augment is the market price for a Marque II augment.) The
from point A to point B. You’ll be able to craft everything from jet- material cost for a Marque 1 augment is 14 princes.
packs to gyrocycles, ironbirds, motorcars, powerboats, and more.
You can now craft one-person automatically propelled vehicles
(called autos for short).
Without spending any money, you can build and main-
tain several autos based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
Piloting your Auto
score. They can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll learn 2 Control Method
augments from this specialty, which can be selected under “auto c
augments” below. These augments have marques. At lower levels, While autos can be propelled by anything in your imagination,
you’ll start with Marque I augments. See the “Crafting” page at at default your craftable mount is grounded, with a maximum
the beginning of this chapter for more information. land or water surface speed based off of the marque of this
Each auto can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some ma- specialty.
auto. Your
It costs an action point to mount or dismount your
auto can be turned on and off for one action point.
terials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden autos) or just While piloting your auto, your defense and evade (and accuracy
once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take up and strike, if applicable) are added to that of the vehicle.
multiple augment slots. If an augment is worth 2 slots, an auto
only has 1 more available slot for an augment after the 2-slot aug- When you start your auto, select a speed setting be-
ment has been applied. tween 5 feet per turn and its maximum speed per turn. While
turned on, it will move at that speed every turn at the beginning
Number of Autos you can Maintain z of the pilot’s turn. It costs one action point to change the speed.
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some autos It also costs one action point to control its movement during
entirely out of scraps. These vehicles must be constantly main- a turn, moving up to its current speed setting. If you do not
tained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. You spend the action point to control it, it will automatically move
may build and maintain a number of autos for free based on your its last set speed in a straight line in the same direction it last
DIY score. You may build new autos or augment old ones during moved.
Body of the Machine c
any period of downtime you have.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 At default your vehicle can hold only one person at a time: its
You can build: 1 1 1 2 2 2 pilot. Your vehicle cannot protect its pilot from harm; the pilot
can still be targeted as per normal.
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 Your automatic vehicle has a default maximum wounds
You can build: 2 3 3 3 3 4 of twelve and can be targeted by hostiles without the need of
Sciences
Chapter 10

a called shot. Whenever your vehicle takes wounds damage, its

The Cost of Autos z maximum speed decreases by 10 feet. Should your automatic
vehicle lose all of its wounds, your auto ceases to move. If it
If you need to build an auto that you can’t build for free from your is in the air when this happens, anyone riding your vehicle will
DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. An auto will suffer falling damage. If on water, your vehicle will begin to
have a base materials cost. It is 1/5th the market price. sink at a rate of twenty feet per turn.
The automatic vehicle, unaugmented, will have a base This specialty works within the marque system. As
cost depending on its marque. (The marque will determine its your skill in engineering grows, your autos will become faster
maximum speed per turn.) If you buy a vehicle and augments, and more efficient, increasing its maximum speed per turn.
you will add the price of the augments onto the price of the ve-
hicle. Maximum of 150 feet per turn
Marque I II III IV Maximum of 200 feet per turn
Market Price 100 princes 500 princes 2500 princes 12500 princes Maximum of 300 feet per turn
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the Maximum of 500 feet per turn
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 70 princes 350 princes 1750 princes 8750 princes
236
 Aug HP Aug HP
+2 +5 +2 +4
DIY DIY
Beta Autos +1 Manual-Wright +1
Engineer Specialty Engineer Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Engineer & Auto-Wright specialty Manual vehicles are complex, powerful vehicles that move under
Your automatic vehicles are exceptionally advanced but quite dif- the pilot’s power. You’ll be able to build walkers, steamtanks, or-
ficult to use. Such autos can be upgraded with 2 more augments nithopters, motorships, and everything in-between. You can now
(bringing the total for metal autos up to 5 augmentable slots). craft one-person manual vehicles, called clankers for short.
If anybody other than you attempts to operate one of Without spending any money, you can build and main-
your autos, they must succeed in rolling a science result one tier tain several clankers based on your current Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
higher than the highest level marque you have on your auto. If score. They can then be upgraded with augments. You’ll learn 2
your auto has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for them to augments from this specialty, which can be selected under “clank-
use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5 with their er augments” below. These augments have marques. At lower lev-
science attribute). els, you’ll start with Marque I augments. See the “Crafting” page
at the beginning of this chapter for more information.
If you are a passenger in a beta auto that you created,
you can allow another person to pilot the vehicle. Each clanker can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some
materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden clankers) or
Aug HP just once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take
+1 +6 up multiple augment slots. For example, the “flying” augment is
DIY worth 2 slots, so a clanker only has 1 more available slot for an
Prototype Autos +1 augment after “flying” has been applied.
Engineer Specialty
Requires: 16 skill points in Engineer, Auto-Wright, & Beta Autos
Number of Clankers you can Maintain z
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some
specialties clankers entirely out of scraps. These vehicles must be constantly
You’ve perfected your beta autos and made them user-friendly. maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care.
Now anybody can pilot your automatic vehicle as long as you You may build and maintain a number of clankers for free based
designate it as being a prototype. on your DIY score. You may build new clankers or augment old
ones during any period of downtime you have.
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6
You can build: 1 1 1 2 2 2
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
Conceptualizing your Vehicle You can build: 2 3 3 3 3 4
When you first start building vehicles, they’re not going to be
full-fledged airships. Taking Auto-Wright will basically give
The Cost of Clankers z
If you need to build a clanker that you can’t build for free from
you an engine that you can sit on or strap to your back. At the your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. A clanker
most basic levels, you probably have little more than a motor- will have a base materials cost. It is 1/5th the market price.
ized bicycle or a propellered surf-board.
The manual vehicle, unaugmented, will have a base cost
By taking augments, you can improve on the vehicle. depending on its marque. (The marque will determine its maxi-
When you take Aerial Propulsion or Lift, you’ll be able to soar mum speed per action point spent.) If you buy a vehicle and aug-
the skies on a rocketpack. Want to take your friends with you? ments, you will add the price of the augments onto the price of

Sciences
Chapter 10
The Passenger and Extra Passengers augments will be your the vehicle.
choice. Is your vehicle’s a little too rickety and easily destroyed
for your liking? Taking Improved Construction and Sturdy will Marque I II III IV
solve that problem.
By adding armoring, your vehicle can become a mo- Market Price 80 princes 400 princes 2000 princes 10000 princes
bile tank, a weapon platform, a flying gunship, or whatever you Every augment will increase the price. The higher the
can imagine. marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
And though you’ll be able to accomplish a lot, your can be found in the chart below.
vehicle’s going to start off simple. Barely a vehicle at all: just
an engine, and some basic controls. Marque I II III IV
Market Price 60 princes 300 princes 1500 princes 7500 princes
If you are building the augment outside of your DIY Score, you
pay 1/5th the price, which is the same as if you were buying an
augment one marque lower. (As in, the material cost for a Marque
III augment is the market price for a Marque II augment.) The
material cost for a Marque 1 augment is 12 princes.

237
 Aug HP
+1 +5
DIY
Piloting your Clanker Prototype Clankers +1
Control Method c Engineer Specialty
Requires: 16 skill points in Engineer, Manual-Wright, & Beta
While manual vehicles can be propelled by anything you imag- Clankers specialties
ine, by default your craftable mount is grounded, with a land or
water surface speed based off of the marque of this specialty. It You’ve perfected your beta clankers and made them user-friendly.
costs an action point to mount or dismount your clanker. Your Now anybody can pilot your manual vehicle as long as you desig-
clanker can be turned on and off for one action point. While pi- nate it as being a prototype.
loting your clanker, your defense and evade (and accuracy and
p Auto & Clanker Augments M
strike, if applicable) are added to that of the vehicle.
It costs the pilot one action point to move the vehicle
up to its full movement speed. The vehicle can move as many
times per turn as the pilot can spend action points to do so.
It can move in any direction without having to spend action Aerial Propulsion
points to turn, slow down, or any of that hogwash. It cannot
climb or submerge itself. It costs an action point to mount or Vehicle Augment
dismount your vehicle. Can only be applied to Autos
Your vehicle has jets, wings, propellers, sails, or some other way
Body of the Machine c of moving through the air. You may apply your vehicle speed to
At default your vehicle can hold only one person at a time: its moving in the air. You do not gain the ability to move vertically in
pilot. Your vehicle cannot protect its pilot from harm; the pilot the air - you can only move horizontally. Aerial propulsion also al-
can still be targeted as per normal. lows you to move through water, but you move at half your speed
(unless you have Underwater Propulsion).
Your manual vehicle has a default maximum wounds
of twelve and can be targetted by hostiles without the need of Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
a called shot. Whenever your vehicle takes wounds damage, its purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
maximum speed decreases by 5 feet. Should your vehicle run despite your skill in engineer.
out of wounds, your manual vehicle ceases to move. If it is in
the air when this happens, anyone riding your manual vehicle
will suffer falling damage. If on water, your manual vehicle will Alchemy Refill Station
begin to sink at a rate of twenty feet per turn. Vehicle Augment
This specialty works within the marque system. As You’ve equipped your vehicle with everything you need in or-
your skill in engineer grows, your clankers will become faster der to refill consumed alchemical substances during a breather
and more efficient, increasing its speed per action point spent. (a 15-30 minute break). Over the course of a single breather the
refill station in your vehicle will allow an alchemist to refill used
Up to 40 feet per action point spent alchemical potions they’ve brewed. The alchemy refill station will
Up to 80 feet per action point spent allow a maximum number of refills per breather based on the
marque of this augment. You must be adjacent to or inside the
Up to 120 feet per action point spent vehicle in order to use the refill station.
Up to 160 feet per action point spent
1 alchemical potion
Aug HP 2 alchemical potions
+2 +5
DIY 3 alchemical potions
Sciences

Beta Clankers
Chapter 10

+1 4 alchemical potions
Engineer Specialty
Requires: 4 skill points in Engineer & Manual-Wright specialty
Your manual vehicles are exceptionally advanced but quite diffi-
All Terrain
cult to use. Such clankers can be upgraded with 2 more augments Vehicle Augment
(bringing the total for metal clankers up to 5 augmentable slots). Your vehicle is adept at moving through terrain (either by having
If anybody other than you attempts to operate one of rotating machetes on the front or by having a vehicle that’s just
your clankers, they must succeed in rolling a science result one great at sliding in-between brush). Your vehicle cannot be slowed
tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your ve- by rough terrain.
hicle. If your clanker has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
of 5 with their science attribute). despite your skill in engineer.
If you are a passenger in a beta clanker that you created,
you can allow another person to pilot the vehicle.

238
Armsmith Utilities Buoyancy Release
Vehicle Augment Vehicle Augment
Your vehicle is outfitted with a small forge, extra equipment, and Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively
various tools used to fix your armor, weapons, and firearms. A When your vehicle starts to sink or hits the water and isn’t
vehicle outfitted with armsmith utilities can be used to repair equipped for staying afloat, you can hit your buoyancy release in
any broken armor or weaponry during a breather (a 15-30 minute order to stay afloat. The pilot may activate the buoyancy release
break). A person who knows armsmith augments can also switch for 1 action point, and it will cause the vehicle to stay afloat de-
out augments on an item. The armsmither may change a number spite any injuries the vehicle has taken.
of marques based on the marque of this augment. You must be
adjacent to or inside this vehicle in order to use armsmith utili- A foe may attack the buoyancy release mechanism. The
ties. buoyancy has a number of wounds based on the marque of this
augment.
1 armsmith augment may be changed 6 wounds
2 armsmith augments may be changed 12 wounds
3 armsmith augments may be changed 18 wounds
4 armsmith augments may be changed 24 wounds

Blazing Speed Climber

Vehicle Augment Vehicle Augment
Can only be applied to Autos Whether it be iron hooks built into your treads or a more straight-
Requires: vehicle to be augmented to have the Improved Speed forward set of arms and legs extending from your vehicle, it now
augment has the ability to climb. You may apply your vehicle speed to
Your vehicle is stupidly fast. Your speed is improved based on the moving up and down verticle surfaces.
marque of this augment. (This bonus stacks with that granted by Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
Improved Speed.) poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
+50 speed despite your skill in engineer.
+100 speed
+150 speed Difficult Controls
+200 speed Vehicle Augment
Your vehicle is complex, poorly organized, and the controls aren’t
well labeled. In all ways, it is designed for you. Anybody else at-
Blurring Speeds tempting to pilot your vehicle must spend extra action points in
order to change the speed or turn the vehicle.
Vehicle Augment
Can only be applied to Autos +1 action point to pilot
Your vehicle is built to go so fast that nothing else can hit it. +2 action points to pilot
When traveling at your top speeds, your vehicle is little more than +3 action points to pilot

Sciences
a blur. You vehicle gains a bonus to its evade rolls whenever you’re

Chapter 10
moving at its top speed (and until the pilot’s next turn, when the +4 action points to pilot
speed is adjusted). The evade bonus is based on the marque of Note: You may designate one other person as being able to pilot
this augment. your vehicle as well, so they do not take the penalties for the dif-
+3 on evade rolls ficult controls.
+4 on evade rolls
+5 on evade rolls
+6 on evade rolls

239
 Drill Emergency Parachute
Vehicle Augment Vehicle Augment
Your vehicle has a drill, and this drill lets you move through the Cost to Activate: 1 AP reflexively
earth. You may apply your vehicle speed to moving through the When your vehicle starts to lose altitude and is going to crash,
earth. You may change directions as you drill forward, going up, you can release your emergency parachute in order to slow your
down, left, or right. descent. The pilot may activate the emergency parachute for 1
The drill does not allow you to drill through all sub- action point, and it will cause the vehicle to float slowly to the
stances. The thickness of the substance you can drill through ground despite any injuries the vehicle has taken. The vehicle will
depends on the marque of this augment. If it is too thick for you fall 10 feet per turn.
to drill through (which will be decided by the narrator), you will A foe may attack the emergency parachute. The para-
not be able to pass through it. chute has a number of wounds based on the marque of this aug-
Thin soil, dirt, and sands ment.
Ice, thick soils, and wet sands 3 wounds
Weak stone, compressed soils, and clays 6 wounds
Worked stones, mountains, soft metals 9 wounds
12 wounds
Ease of Repair
Vehicle Augment Extra Passengers
Your vehicle is made so that the gears and engine are easy to Vehicle Augment
access and repair. Whenever somebody is attempting to use the Requires: vehicle to be augmented to have the Passenger augment
Vehicle Repairs specialty or Maintenance specialty on the vehicle,
they gain a bonus on the roll. You’ve outfitted your vehicle with small compartments, uncom-
fortable back seats, and barrels that hang from the main seat
+2 that are all capable of carrying extra passengers. You may add
a number of extra passengers (in addition to the passenger al-
+4 lowed from your Passenger augment). This does not make the
+6 vehicle much larger, despite logic dictating otherwise (hey, it’s
steampunk!).
+8
+1 passengers (to a total of 1 pilot & 2 passengers)
Efficient Movement +2 passengers (to a total of 1 pilot & 3 passengers)
+3 passengers (to a total of 1 pilot & 4 passengers)
Vehicle Augment
Can only be applied to Clankers +4 passengers (to a total of 1 pilot & 5 passengers)
You clockwork engines respond seemlessly, letting you squeeze
out every ounce of movement from your clanker. Your speed in-
creases.
Flying
Vehicle Augment
+20 speed
Sciences

Can only be applied to Clankers & Takes up 2 Augment Slots

Chapter 10

+40 speed You’ve attached cranked propellers or wings to your clanker, let-
+60 speed ting you soar through the air. You may move your vehicle through
the air, traveling in any direction.
+80 speed Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in engineer.

240
Gliding Lift
Vehicle Augment Vehicle Augment
Your vehicle is equipped to glide for a while after the vehicle has Can only be applied to Autos
stopped moving. If you turn off your vehicle or it can’t move (for Your vehicle can support itself through verticle lift, either through
any reason) while it’s in the air, the vehicle will glide forward for a a lighter-than-air envelope or a graviton sphere. If you are com-
number of turns before it loses its ability to glide. It will continue bining Lift with Aerial Propulsion, you’ll be able to move verti-
to move forward at its speed but will lose 10 feet of altitude per cally a certain distance based on the marque of this augment as
turn. It will glide for a number of turns based on the marque of well as move horizontally based on your speed. Lift only lets you
this augment. move vertically, and it acts independently of all other speeds. The
2 turns pilot of the automatic vehicle will need to set the lift speed as well
(which costs 1 action point to change).
4 turns
20 feet of vertical movement
6 turns
40 feet of vertical movement
8 turns
60 feet of vertical movement
80 feet of vertical movement
Improved Construction
Vehicle Augment
Your vehicle is built exceptionally well, made sturdy, strong, and
Passenger
tough to take down. Your vehicle has extra wounds based on the Vehicle Augment
marque of this augment. You’ve installed a second seat in your vehicle - good job, now your
+12 wounds friend can come with you! You may carry a single passenger in
your vehicle. (This does not increase the size of your vehicle.)
+24 wounds Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur-
+36 wounds poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in engineer.
+48 wounds

Improved Speed Power Thrusters

Vehicle Augment
Vehicle Augment Can only be applied to Autos
Can only be applied to Autos Activation Cost: 0 AP (but done when changing speed)
You’ve streamlined your vehicle to make it faster. Your speed is You’ve applied extra thrusters to your vehicle that make you move
improved based on the marque of this augment. exceptionally fast. Unfortunately, it makes you so fast that your
+50 speed vehicle starts to break down. Any time you adjust your speed, you
can choose to freely activate your power thrusters. This increases
+100 speed the vehicle’s maximum speed based on the marque of this aug-
+150 speed ment. However, every turn that you have your power thrusters
activated, your vehicle loses 1 wound.
+200 speed

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Chapter 10
+100 speed beyond your vehicle’s maximum speed
+200 speed beyond your vehicle’s maximum speed
+300 speed beyond your vehicle’s maximum speed
+400 speed beyond your vehicle’s maximum speed

241
 Side Thrusters Thick Exhausts
Vehicle Augment Vehicle Augment
Cost: 1 AP reflexively Thick steam, smoke, and smog rolls out from your vehicle, cloud-
Side thrusters allow you to quickly toss to the side, bolting out of ing the area around you. The exhaust coats your vehicle, making
the way. Side thrusters can be activated at any time for 1 action it difficult to target your vehicle. Generally, this is made not to
point, and they send your vehicle a certain distance based on the negatively effect the pilot of any gunners on board. The thick
marque of this augment. You may have your side thrusters send exhausts gives you a bonus on your evade based on the marque of
you in any direction (regardless of the direction you’re traveling), the augment. (If the attacker has any ways of negating penalties
and you may go any distance, up to the maximum allowed by the caused from cover or poor sight, they can negate this as well.)
side thrusters. You cannot travel through solid terrain. +1 on evade rolls
up to 20 feet +2 on evade rolls
up to 40 feet +3 on evade rolls
up to 60 feet +4 on evade rolls
up to 80 feet
Underwater Propulsion
Silent Movement Vehicle Augment
Vehicle Augment Your vehicle has fins, jets, propellers, or some other way of mov-
Your vehicle is well-greased, quiet, and difficult to hear. When ing through the water. You may apply your vehicle speed to mov-
somebody is listening for your vehicle, they must make a cunning ing underwater. You can change directions, moving up, down, or
result to hear, based on the marque of this augment. forward. Underwater propulsion also allows you to move through
the air, but you move at half your speed (unless you have Aerial
Tier 2 cunning to detect Propulsion).
Tier 3 cunning to detect Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
Tier 4 cunning to detect despite your skill in engineer.
Undetectable (unless you can achieve a tier 5 cunning)
Weapon Mount
Speed Durability Vehicle Augment
Vehicle Augment You’ve outfitted your vehicle with a weapon turret that you can
It’s difficult for attacks to damage your engine. An attack that fire from the cockpit. The weapon is built into the vehicle, and
damages your vehicle must do a certain amount of wounds dam- can be augmented as a weapon. If you have any passengers in
age before it decreases your speed. (Normally 1 wound damage the vehicle, they can operate the weapon instead. If the weapon
would decrease your speed by 10 for autos or 5 feet for clankers.) requires the wielder to be in firing position, the weapon always
counts as being in firing position.
3 wounds from a single attack before speed is reduced You can detach or re-attach the weapon for a number of
6 wounds from a single attack before speed is reduced action points depending on the marque of this augment.
Sciences

3 action points
Chapter 10

9 wounds from a single attack before speed is reduced

12 wounds from a single attack before speed is reduced 2 action points
1 action point
Sturdy 1 action point reflexively
Vehicle Augment
The vehicle is strongly built and gains an increased soak class.
This soak class is not from armoring, but rather comes from the
basic soak of the vehicle. (As such, it cannot be sundered or bro-
ken like normal armoring.) The amount of soak class is based on
the marque of this augment.
+1 soak class
+2 soak class
+3 soak class
+4 soak class

242
Armoring Vehicles Aug
+2
HP
+6
DIY
Vehicle Armorer +1

z
Engineer Specialty
A vehicle without armoring is little more than an engine and The Cost of Armoring
some sort of control system. You’ll give it a shell, a hull to keep If you need to create armoring that you
the pilot, the engine, and everything you love safe. You can now can’t build for free from your DIY score,
armor vehicles. you will need to buy the materials for it. Armoring
Without spending any money, you can build and main- Armoring will have a base materials cost. Minimal 20 princes
tain the armoring on several vehicles based on your current Do- It is 1/5th the market price. Light 50 princes
It-Yourself (DIY) score. They can then be upgraded with aug- Armoring, unaugmented, will Medium 100 princes
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be have a base cost depending on its size. If
selected under “armoring augments” below. These augments have you buy armoring with augments, you will Heavy 300 princes
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. See add the price of the augments onto the Super-Heavy 5000 princes
the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more in- price of the vehicle.
formation. Every augment will increase the price. The higher the
Vehicle armoring can be upgraded with 3 augments. marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
Some materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden armor- can be found in the chart below.
ing) or just once (if you choose organic armoring). Sometimes an
augment will take up multiple augment slots. If an augment is Marque I II III IV
worth 2 slots, armoring only has 1 more available slot for an aug- Market Price 150 princes 750 princes 3750 princes 18750 princes
ment after the 2-slot augment has been applied.
Amount of Armoring you can Maintain z If you are building the augment outside of your DIY Score, you
pay 1/5th the price, which is the same as if you were buying an
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build the armor- augment one marque lower. (As in, the material cost for a Marque
ing on some vehicles entirely out of scraps. This armoring must III augment is the market price for a Marque II augment.) The
be constantly maintained by you and stops functioning soon after material cost for a Marque 1 augment is 30 princes.
leaving your care. You may build and maintain a number of ve-
hicle armoring for free based on your DIY score. You may create Aug HP
more armoring or augment old armoring during any period of +2 +6
DIY
downtime you have. Beta Armoring +1
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Engineer Specialty
You can build: 1 1 1 2 2 2 Requires: 4 skill points in Engineer & Vehicle Armorer specialty
Your armoring is beyond that seen before, but it is nearly impos-
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 sible to pilot a vehicle covered in the stuff. Such armoring can

Sciences
Chapter 10
You can build: 2 3 3 3 3 4 be upgraded with 2 more augments (bringing the total for metal
armoring up to 5 augmentable slots).

Evade Auto Clanker

Type Soak Class Penalty Penalty Penalty Passenger Cover Material Options
Unarmored 0 - -0 ft. -0 ft. None None, Organic, or Textile
Minimal 1 -1 -10 ft. -5 ft. Poor (+2 evade) Metal, Organic, Textile, or
Wood
Light 2 -2 -20 ft. -10 ft. Light (+4 evade) Metal, Organic, Textile, or
Wood
Medium 3 -4 -40 ft. -20 ft. Medium (+6 evade) Metal, Organic, or Wood
Heavy 4 -6 -60 ft. -30 ft. Heavy (+8 evade) Metal or Wood
Super-Heavy 5 -8 -80 ft. -40 ft. Total (cannot be Metal or Wood
targeted)
243
 If anybody other than you attempts to operate a vehicle Electro-Absorption
covered in your armoring, they must succeed in rolling a science
result one tier higher than the highest level marque you have on Armoring Augment
your armoring. If your armoring has a Marque IV augment, it is The armoring re-routes electricity through it and into specially
impossible for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a created devices that absorb the shock. Anything that deals elec-
tier result of 5 with their science attribute). tricity damage is now entirely soakable, and attacks that deal
If you are a passenger in a vehicle that has beta armor- electricity damage (even if they are only partially electrical, such
ing that you created, you can allow another person to pilot the as attacks with a pulsing weapon) increase the soak class of the
vehicle. armor.
Aug HP +2 soak class against electrical attacks
+1 +7
DIY +4 soak class against electrical attacks
Prototype Armoring +1 +6 soak class against electrical attacks
Engineer Specialty +8 soak class against electrical attacks
Requires: 16 skill points in Engineer, Vehicle Armorer, & Beta
Armoring specialties
You’ve perfected your beta armoring and made it user-friendly. Emergency Landing
Now anybody can pilot a vehicle covered in your armoring as Armoring Augment
long as you designate it as being a prototype.
Your armor is built to withstand crashes. When crashing (though
p Armoring Augments M we hope it’s not often), the hull can soak a certain amount of
damage and keep it from being inflicted upon the crew.
10 damage
Airtight 50 damage
Armoring Augment 100 damage
The vehicle can go higher in the atmosphere or underwater. While 250 damage
the airtightness is a factor, so is the vehicle’s ability to withstand
pressure. If there is no way of breathing, oxygen will eventually
run out of an airtight vehicle. Exceptional Structure
The vehicle can go to cloud level or just below the Armoring Augment
surface of water
Requires: armoring to be augmented to have the Structural In-
The vehicle can go to cloud level or deep underwater tegrity augment
The vehicle can go above clouds or to the ocean’s bot- Your vehicle’s armoring is exceptional, providing greater support
tom and a thicker buffer between your hard, outer shell and the gooey
insides. This grants you additional hit points, which stack with
The vehicle can skim the top of the atmosphere or those granted by Structural Integrity.
reach the abysses of the ocean
+20 hit points
Effective Armoring +40 hit points
Sciences
Chapter 10

Armoring Augment +60 hit points

Your vehicle’s armoring is streamlined, slick, and it’s surprisingly +80 hit points
easy to ensure that bullets aren’t going to make it through. The
pilot gains a bonus on the vehicle’s defense roll.
Fireproofing
+2 on defense rolls
Armoring Augment
+4 on defense rolls While coated in armoring that has fireproofing, all fire attacks
+6 on defense rolls are soakable. Furthermore, the soak class for the armoring is im-
proved against fire.
+8 on defense rolls
+1 soak class against fire
+2 soak class against fire
+3 soak class against fire
+4 soak class against fire

244
Flame Retardant Internal Oxygen Supply
Armoring Augment Armoring Augment
The armoring generally cannot be caught on fire, depending on Your armoring provides oxygen for your vehicle. It will last for a
how intense the fire is. definite period, depending on the marque.
Cannot be caught on tier 1 fire 10 minutes
Cannot be caught on tier 2 fire 60 minutes
Cannot be caught on tier 3 fire 1 day
Cannot be caught on tier 4 fire 1 week

Structural Integrity
Greater Crew Cover Armoring Augment
Armoring Augment The armoring was built to be exceptionally sturdy, granting hit
Your vehicle’s armoring is designed to keep you and any pas- points to the vehicle. Like normal, hit points are damaged before
sengers alive for significantly longer. The greater crew cover im- wounds.
proves the cover by a degree (or more, depending on the marque).
For example, if you’re in vehicle with Marque I Greater Crew +10 hit points
Cover light armoring, everyone on board can take advantage of +20 hit points
medium cover. The maximum cover is total cover, in which the
people inside the vehicle cannot be targeted. +30 hit points
improves cover by 1 degree +40 hit points
improves cover by 2 degrees
improves cover by 3 degrees Thick Armoring
improves cover by 4 degrees Armoring Augment
You’ve thickened your armoring without impeding your creation
at all. You grant the armor extra soak.
High Mobility
+1 soak class
Armoring Augment
The armor is optimized to be lightweight, easy to move in, and +2 soak class
not clutter up your vehicle’s amazing speed. This augment de- +3 soak class
creases the speed penalty the vehicle takes from wearing the ar- +4 soak class
mor. It decreases it by a degree - for example, if you’re using
Marque I High Mobility light armoring, it would have the speed
penalty of minimal armoring.
the speed penalty is 1 degree lighter
the speed penalty is 2 degrees lighter

Sciences
the speed penalty is 3 degrees lighter

Chapter 10
the speed penalty is 4 degrees lighter

245
 p Gadgetry M
Gadgets, doodads, trinkets, whatchamacallits - these are inventions that mad scientists
would be proud of, items that permeate society and make life easier (or, at the very least,
more exciting). A gadgeteer is a specialist in the wild mechanisms of technology, build-
ing explosives, fantastic eyewear, and any number of trinkets. The gadgeteer can be rather
creative, using his skillset to build and augment a wide variety of items.

Eva HP
+1 +8
Aug
Beta Hacker +1
Gadgetry Specialty
Your tinkering and logic has made you adept at hacking into beta
equipment. Whenever you are trying to work a beta item, you may
add your skill in gadgetry to the roll. In addition, if you receive a
result of 40 or higher, you have made a tier 5 result, and can now
use marque 4 beta items.
Acc HP
+1 +7
Eva
Dud +1
Gadgetry Specialty
Resist: Cunning (negates)
Cost: 1 AP reflexively
Sciences
Chapter 10

Whenever someone adjacent to you is activating the fuse of an

explosive, you can make the explosive a dud. The explosive will
not explode, and your enemies must make a Cunning resist to
realize the explosive isn’t functioning.
Acc HP
+1 +9
Stk
Item Breaker +3
Gadgetry Specialty
Requires: Saboteur specialty
Cost: same as a Sunder
Whenever you successfully sunder an item, you are able to turn
off some of its augments until the next breather.
Marque 1 augments are turned off
Marque 2 augments are turned off
Marque 3 augments are turned off
Marque 4 augments are turned off
246
 Aug HP Acc HP
+2 +5 +1 +8
DIY Pri
Reverse Engineer +1 Saboteur +3
Gadgetry Specialty Gadgetry Specialty
You are able to move augments from one item to another, includ- Resist: Dexterity (negates)
ing those you yourself are not capable of crafting. When reverse Cost: 1 AP
engineering an item, roll your Gadgetry. If you are unsuccessful,
the augment is destroyed. Augments may only be moved to an You know how to throw a wrench into another person’s plans...
item the augment could normally be attached to. For instance, and their items. You can turn off a single augment of an item
you cannot move a melee weapon augment to a vehicle. This can either adjacent to you or being wielded by someone adjacent to
be performed during any breather, though the exact amount of you.
time this takes is dependant on the size of the device, at the Eva HP
narrator’s discretion. +1 +7
Aug
Can move up to a Marque 1 augment Improvised Improvements +1
Can move up to a Marque 2 augment Gadgetry Specialty
Can move up to a Marque 3 augment Requires: 4 skill points in Gadgeteer
Can move up to a Marque 4 augment Stance (costs 1 AP to enter)
Crafted items seem to perform better when you’re around. When
entering this stance, choose augments on any items within 5 feet
of your current position, whether you are wielding the item or
not. These augments act as if they were 1 marque higher. You can
do this to 1 augment for every 4 skill points you have in Gadgetry.
If any item whose augments you’re improving moves away from
being adjacent to you, the improvements wear off. To reassign
which augments you’re improving, you must reenter your Impro-
vised Improvements stance. You cannot make an augment exceed
marque 4.

Crafting Explosives Aug HP

+4
+2
DIY
Pyrotechnician +1 Using Explosives
Gadgetry Specialty Explosives are built to be small and easily thrown, just like a
You’re a master of explosives, so full of gunpowder and fuses that light thrown weapon, and you can aim at an opponent with it

Sciences
just like a regular thrown attack. Even if you don’t hit the op-

Chapter 10
you always run the risk of blowing off your left ear. You turn the
battlefield into a place of nightmares, your explosions ringing in ponent, the bomb still lands in the target’s space.
your enemies’ ears and burns searing off their flesh. You can now When you activate an explosive, it will detonate at the
create explosives. beginning of your next turn. Activating an explosive requires 1
Without spending any money, you can build and main- action point. (You can both draw and activate an explosive for
tain several explosives based on your current Do-It-Yourself just 1 action point.) Throwing it requires 2 action points.
(DIY) score. These explosives can then be upgraded with aug- The explosive deals 10 damage per marque of the
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be explosive. So, if you create Marque II explosives, you deal 20
selected under “explosive augments” below. These augments have damage to anybody in the explosion. Explosives damage every
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. As person within the target space and all eight of the adjacent
your skill in Gadgetry improves, your marques will increase. See spaces.
the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more in-
formation.
Each explosive can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some
Number of Explosives you can Maintain z
materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden explosives) or Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some ex-
just once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take up plosives entirely out of scraps. These explosives must be con-
multiple augment slots. For example, the “gear-rattler” augment stantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving
is worth 2 slots, so an explosive only has 1 more available slot for your care. You may build and maintain a number of explosives
an augment after “gear-rattler” has been applied. based on your DIY score. You may build new explosives or aug-
ment old ones during any period of downtime you have.
247
 Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Resisting Explosives
You can build: 5 6 6 7 7 8 If a person is within an explosion when it goes off, they’ll
take the damage from the explosion. The damage is soakable
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 (meaning that they can roll their defense and soak some or all
You can build: 8 9 9 10 10 11 of the damage).
A person can attempt to dive out of the explosion. In
The Cost of Explosives z order to get out of the explosion as it’s going off, the target
If you need to build an explo- must spend 1 action point reflexively in order to try to move.
sive that you can’t build for free Explosives The affected targets must make a dexterity resist in order to
escape the blast. For every tier above tier 1 that the person re-
from your DIY score, you will Marque I (10 damage) 5 princes
need to buy the materials for ceives with their dexterity, they may lower the marque of the
it. Marque II (20 damage) 25 princes explosion by 1 (normally taking the damage class down by 10).
Marque III (30 damage) 125 princes If they lower it at all, they may move to the edge of the blast.
An explosive will have If they entirely negate the blast, they move out of it.
th
a base materials cost. It is 1/5 Marque IV (40 damage) 625 princes
the market price. Aug HP
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the +2 +4
DIY
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
Major Explosion +1
Gadgetry Specialty
Marque I II III IV Cost: Activating the Fuse +1 AP
Market Price 8 princes 40 princes 200 princes 1,000 princes You’re skill with explosives ensures that their blast radius is larger
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which than that of anybody else. When you use major explosion with
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower. an explosive, roll below in order to increase the area of effect for
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market the blast.
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1 +5 feet spread
augment is 1 prince and 6 dukes.
+10 feet spread
Aug HP
+2 +5 +15 feet spread
DIY +20 feet spread
Beta Explosives +1 Note: You can, at your discretion, take a lower spread result.
Gadgetry Specialty

p Explosive Augments M
Requires: 4 skill points in Gadgetry & Pyrotechnician specialty
Your explosives are exceptionally complex little gizmos, but the
pack they punch is not to be underestimated. Such explosives can
be upgraded with 2 more augments (bringing the total for metal
explosives up to 5 augmentable slots). B anshee
If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your Explosive Augment
beta explosives they must succeed in rolling a sciences result one
tier higher than the highest marque you have on your explosive. The blast releases an ear-splitting wail, causing its victims to
If your explosive has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible for become temporarily deafened (and greatly annoying everybody
Sciences

else).
Chapter 10

them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result of 5

with their sciences attribute). Deafened for 1 turn
Aug HP Deafened for 2 turns
+2 +6
DIY Deafened for 3 turns
Prototype Explosives +1 Deafened for 4 turns
Gadgetry Specialty
Requires: 16 skill points in Gadgetry, Pyrotechnician, & Beta Ex-
plosives specialties
You’ve perfected your beta explosives and made them user-friend-
ly. Now anybody can use an explosive that you designate as being
a prototype.

248
Concealable E xtended B last
Explosive Augment Explosive Augment
The bomb is camouflaged and can be concealed in its environ- Requires: Marque II Explosives
ment or on a character’s body. The character gains bonuses on The bomb has a greater radius of effect. The bomb acts normally,
any cunning rolls used to hide the explosive. but also blasts out beyond its normal range. The bomb does dam-
+3 age of one marque lower than its own marque beyond its normal
range.
+6
5 feet further
+9
10 feet further
+12
15 feet further
20 feet further
Concussive
Explosive Augment
Characters caught within the blast are subject to a powerful pulse,
Flare
causing their brains to rattle in their skulls as their heads are Explosive Augment
jerked by the shockwave. The explosion leaves behind a piece of material which burns
Disoriented for 1 turn brightly like a flare, lighting the area within 25 feet for sever-
al turns. Dim light extends for an additional 25 feet from the
Disoriented for 2 turns source.
Disoriented for 3 turns 2 turns
Disoriented for 4 turns 4 turns
6 turns
Damaging 8 turns
Explosive Augment
The blast is souped-up to be more powerful, dealing greater
amounts of total damage to those caught within its range.
Flash
Explosive Augment
11 damage per the Explosive’s Marque The blast releases a powerful flash of light, causing temporary
12 damage per the Explosive’s Marque blindness to all within the area of the explosion.
13 damage per the Explosive’s Marque Blinded for 1 turn
14 damage per the Explosive’s Marque Blinded for 2 turns
Blinded for 3 turns
Delay Blinded for 4 turns
Explosive Augment

Sciences
Chapter 10
The bomb can be set to automatically go off in a number of F lypaper
turns specified by the player.
Note: This augment always acts as marque I for the pur- Explosive Augment
poses of determining cost, though you can learn this augment If the target is wearing organic or wooden armor, the bomb sticks
despite your skill in gadgetry. to them like a magnet. The target must spend 2 action point and
fully resist the augment or be denied their ability to evade the
blast.
If the target is not wearing organic or wooden armor, it
falls to the ground in front of them.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in engineer.

249
 G ear-Rattler L aunching
Explosive Augment Explosive Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on an Explosive The bomb is built to be launchable, increasing the distance that
The bomb is built to explode in such a way that it disables ma- it can be fired.
chinery, rattling gears and causing it to become stunned. When +10 feet
an automaton is effected by this augment, it is stunned for a num-
ber of action points. +20 feet
Stunned for 1 AP +30 feet
Stunned for 2 AP +40 feet
Stunned for 3 AP
Stunned for 4 AP M agnetic
When a vehicle is effected by an explosive with this augment, it Explosive Augment
is uncontrollable and moves directly forward for a number of ac- If the target is wearing metal armor, the bomb sticks to them like
tion points. flypaper. The target must spend 2 action point and fully resist the
Cannot be controlled for 1 AP augment or be denied their ability to evade the blast.
If the target is not wearing metal armor, it will stick on
Cannot be controlled for 2 AP to any person within 5 feet wearing the heaviest metal armor. (If
Cannot be controlled for 3 AP multiple people are wearing equally heavy armor within 5 feet,
have them roll randomly to see who wins the right to wear the
Cannot be controlled for 4 AP magnetic explosive. The highest roller gets the bomb.)
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
I mplosion purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in gadgetry.
Explosive Augment
Your explosive pulls anyone within its blast radius towards its
epicenter when it explodes. M elter
Pulled 5 feet towards the explosion’s center Explosive Augment
Takes up 2 Augment Slots on an Explosive
Pulled 10 feet towards the explosion’s center
The blast splashes molten metal onto armor and clothing, de-
Pulled 10 feet towards the explosion’s center creasing its potency and melting through it, causing it to be less
Pulled 15 feet towards the explosion’s center useful until it can be repaired (which can normally be done dur-
ing a breather).
-1 soak class
Knock B ack -1 soak class
Explosive Augment
-2 soak class
The blast sends out a shock wave which knocks opponents back.
Opponents who are unable to dodge the blast are pushed back -2 soak class
Sciences

from the center of the blast and may be knocked prone.

Chapter 10

Pushed back 5 feet P roximity Fuse

Pushed back 10 feet Explosive Augment
Pushed back 10 feet and prone The bomb is set up with a fuse that causes it to detonate when
Pushed back 15 feet and prone somebody walks within the bomb’s blast area. Characters at-
tempting to pass through the area without detonating the fuse
must move no faster than 10 feet per action point and roll to resist
L atch setting off the trigger.
In order to activate a proximity fuse, you must first spend
Explosive Augment the usual 1 action point to activate the fuse, then either drop or
The bomb contains a clamp which latches it to opponents. When throw it. The fuse effect becomes active at the end of your turn.
you throw or otherwise attach the bomb, the opponent must Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
spend 1 action point to remove the bomb or be denied their abil- purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
ity to evade the blast. Also, if you make a called shot when at- despite your skill in gadgetry.
taching the weapon, the blast counts as a called shot to the called
shot location.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in gadgetry.
250
P owerful B last Slippery
Explosive Augment Explosive Augment
The blast occurs with such speed that it is more difficult to jump When your explosive is thrown, it begins to secrete a slimy liquid,
out of its way. Characters who wish to use their dexterity to resist making it difficult to pick up. It costs 2 action points to attempt to
the blast must act as if their dexterity roll to resist the blast was pick your explosive up, and the person attempting to do so must
one tier lower. roll their Dexterity.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the Tier 2 Dexterity to pick it up
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in gadgetry. Tier 3 Dexterity to pick it up
Tier 4 Dexterity to pick it up
Quick-Set Impossible (Unless you can somehow attain a Tier 5
Dexterity result)
Explosive Augment
Activating the fuse on an explosive costs 1 less action point (nor-
mally bringing the cost down to 0 action points). Smoking
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the Explosive Augment
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in gadgetry. The blast fills the area with a thick screen of smoke, causing
those within the area to be blinded.

Remote A ctivation Dissipates in 1 turn

Dissipates in 2 turns
Explosive Augment
You have a trigger device that lets you activate the explosive from Dissipates in 3 turns
a distance whenever you so desire. It must have been set previ- Dissipates in 4 turns
ously (for at least 1 turn) and you cannot be outside of a certain
distance (based on the marque). An explosive with remote activa-
tion will not go off until you so designate and using the remote
activation costs 1 action point.
25 foot range
50 foot range
75 foot range
100 foot range

Searing
Explosive Augment
Victims caught within the white phosphorous blast find their skin
covered in hot material, searing the skin. These burns will recover

Sciences
Chapter 10
during the victim’s next breather.
Tier 1 Burns (-1 on defense rolls)
Tier 2 Burns (-3 on defense rolls)
Tier 3 Burns (-5 on defense rolls)
Tier 4 Burns (-7 on defense rolls)

251
 Crafting Eyewear Aug HP Aug HP
+2 +4 +2 +4
DIY DIY
Optician +1 Beta Eyewear +1
Gadgetry Specialty Gadgetry Specialty
While you’re friends are out there becoming master swordsmen Requires: 4 skill points in Gadgetry & Optician specialty
and crafting great war-engines, you’ve been learning how to craft You thought you were being clever when you decided to add a
goggles. You can now create eyewear. bunch of extra lenses and loupes onto your monocle. Instead,
Unless you’ve gained extra eyes or somehow have graft- now nobody else can figure out how to use them. Such eyewears
ed eyewear, you are limited to looking through one piece of eye- have two more slots for you to place augments into.
wear. Even if you have multiple sets of eyes, you can only look If anybody other than you attempts to use one of your
through a single piece of eyewear at a time. beta eyewears, they must succeed in rolling a science result one
Without spending any money, you can build and main- tier higher than the highest level marque you have on your eye-
tain several sets of eyewear based on your current Do-It-Yourself wear. If your eyewear has a Marque IV augment, it is impossible
(DIY) score. These eyewears can then be upgraded with aug- for them to use it (unless they can somehow obtain a tier result
ments. You’ll learn 2 augments from this specialty, which can be of 5 with their science attribute).
selected under “eyewear augments” below. These augments have
marques. At lower levels, you’ll start with Marque I augments. Aug HP
As your skill in Gadgetry improves, your marques will increase. +2 +5
DIY
See the “Crafting” page at the beginning of this chapter for more
information.
Prototype Eyewear +1
Each eyewear can be upgraded with 3 augments. Some Gadgetry Specialty
materials can only be upgraded twice (like wooden eyewear) or Requires: 16 skill points in Gadgetry, Optician, & Beta Eyewear
just once (like organic ones). Sometimes an augment will take up specialties
multiple augment slots. For example, the “alert” augment is worth You’ve perfected your beta eyewears and made them user-friend-
3 slots, so an eyewear has 0 more available slot for an augment ly. Now anybody can use an eyewear that you designate as being
after “alert” has been applied. a prototype.
Number of Eyewears you can Maintain z
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some sets
of eyewear entirely out of scraps. These eyewears must be con- p Eyewear Augments M
stantly maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving
your care. You may build and maintain a number of eyewears
based on your DIY score. You may build new eyewears or aug- A lert
ment old ones during any period of downtime you have. Eyewear Augment
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Takes up 3 Augment Slots on Eyewear
Sciences
Chapter 10

Alert goggles have small sirens built into them which go off
You can build: 3 3 4 4 4 5 whenever they sense something headed in your direction. Small
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12 lights in the lenses point you in the direction of the objects in
question.
You can build: 5 5 6 6 6 7
The Cost of Eyewear z
+1 on evade rolls
+2 on evade rolls
If you need to build eyewear that you can’t build for free from
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it. +3 on evade rolls
Every augment will increase the price. The higher the +4 on evade rolls
marque, the greater the price. The market price for an augment
can be found in the chart below.
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 6 princes 30 princes 150 princes 750 princes
If you are building the augment, you pay 1/5th the price, which
is the same as if you were buying an augment one marque lower.
(As in, the material cost for a Marque III augment is the market
price fo a Marque II augment.) The material cost for a Marque 1
augment is 1 prince and 2 dukes.
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Dark A daptor Heat Detection
Eyewear Augment Eyewear Augment
The eyewear is built to allow you to see in the dark as if it were Your eyewear can pick up heat signitures on other people, allow-
normal daytime vision. ing you to faintly see people through cover. You can see people
through degrees of cover based on your marque.
Poor Lighting
Poor Lighting Poor Cover
Total Darkness Light Cover
Total Darkness Medium Cover
Heavy Cover
Far-Sight
Eyewear Augment
I nventory Investigator
Far-sight goggles allow the wearer to see things at distances that Eyewear Augment
seem superhuman. Cost: 1 AP to activate
Can see 1,000 feet further away with ease Perfect for lawmen searching hoodlums for hidden weaponry
(and for pickpockets sizing up a potential target), you’ve aug-
Can see 2,000 feet further away with ease mented your googles with the ability to see some of the items a
target within 25 feet has concealed.
Can see 3,000 feet further away with ease
Can see 4,000 feet further away with ease Can tell if they have concealed items, but can’t identify
them
Knows how many concealed items they have, but can’t
Frightening Faceplate identify them
Eyewear Augment Identifies all concealed items on target
You’ve added decoration to your eyewear designed to make your Identifies all items on target and determines if they are
face more intimidating while wearing them. This gives you a bo- augmented
nus when intimidating someone
+2 to Cunning for intimidation
P in -P ointing
+4 to Cunning for intimidation
Eyewear Augment
+8 to Cunning for intimidation Cost: 1 AP to activate
+16 to Cunning for intimidation The user of pin-pointing eyewear is capable of improving his or
her depth perception and accuracy using a cross-hair and a series
of finely tuned zoom lenses. The lenses must be adjusted, so the
Happy P lace Vision user must spend 1 action point before firing to reap its effects.
Eyewear Augment +1 to accuracy
Takes up 3 Augment Slots on Eyewear

Sciences
+2 to accuracy

Chapter 10
Regardless of what kind of situation you are in, Happy Place
Vision makes whatever you fear the most look like your favorite +3 to accuracy
dessert! While using eyewear with Happy Place Vision, you will +4 to accuracy
never become scared or flustered.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment P oison Detection
despite your skill in gadgetry.
Eyewear Augment
Poison-detecting eyewear reacts to invisible poisons, helping to
alert the wearer of possible threatening chemicals.
+3 to notice poisons
+6 to notice poisons
+9 to notice poisons
+12 to notice poisons

253
 P rotective
Eyewear Augment
Protective eyewear add extra tiers of soak and resist bonuses
against attacks that are directed against the eyes.
+1 soak class against called shots to the eyes & +3 on
Brute resists against things that affect eyes
+2 soak class against called shots to the eyes & +6 on
Brute resists against things that affect eyes
+3 soak class against called shots to the eyes & +9 on
Brute resists against things that affect eyes
+4 soak class against called shots to the eyes & +12 on
Brute resists against things that affect eyes

Tinted
Eyewear Augment
Tinted eyewear not only looks super-cool, but also prevents the
user from experiencing the negative effects of some flashes of
light.
+3 to resist being blinded from flashes
+6 to resist being blinded from flashes
+9 to resist being blinded from flashes
+12 to resist being blinded from flashes

W eatherproof
Eyewear Augment
The eyewear allows you to see well through sleet, snow, and rain.
You take no penalty for looking through inclement weather.
Note: This augment always acts as marque II for the
purposes of determining cost, though you can learn this augment
despite your skill in gadgetry.

Zoom L ens
Eyewear Augment
Sciences
Chapter 10

Cost: 1 AP to activate
Zoom lenses are used commonly by long-ranged riflemen in or-
der to increase their range on the battlefield. For an extra action
point to adjust, ranged weapon users (except those using throw-
ing weapons) may gain a bonus to their range.
+50 feet
+100 feet
+150 feet
+200 feet

254
Crafting Trinkets Aug HP
+4
+2
p Trinkets M
DIY
Trinket Crafter +1
Gadgetry Specialty
You can create trinkets, a catch-all term for small contraptions A ether P ointer
that do some really unique things.
Number of Trinkets you can Maintain z Trinket
Size: Light
Without needing to buy pieces or parts, you can build some trin-
kets entirely out of scraps. These trinkets must be constantly Resist: Cunning (marques down)
maintained by you and stop working soon after leaving your care. Activation Cost: 2 AP
You may build and maintain a number of trinkets based on your A miniscule, highly concentrated beam of light is emitted by this
DIY score. You may build new trinkets or replace old ones during contraption through the use of a weak aether resonator. Not large
any period of downtime you have. enough to light much of anything, the best use of this object is
shining it into the eyes of others for your own enjoyment. (If you
Your DIY: 1 2 3 4 5 6 attempt to point the aether pointer at somebody’s eyes, you must
You can build: 4 5 5 6 6 7 make an accuracy versus their evade, and then they must resist
the effect.)
Your DIY: 7 8 9 10 11 12
Blurry vision (-2 to accuracy and evade) until the end of
You can build: 7 8 8 9 9 10 their next turn
The Cost of Trinkets z Blurry vision (-2 accuracy & evade) for the next 2 turns
If you need to build a trinket that you can’t build for free from Blurry vision (-2 accuracy & evade) for the next 3 turns
your DIY score, you will need to buy the materials for it.
Blurry vision (-2 accuracy & evade) for the next 4 turns
Each trinket has a slight variation in cost, and that cost
will be noted below the trinket (in a chart showing the market Marque I II III IV
prices).
If you are building the trinket, you pay 1/5th the price, Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
which is the same as if you were buying a trinket one marque
lower. (As in, the material cost for a Marque III trinket is the mar-
ket price fo a Marque II trinket.) The material cost for a Marque A larm B ox
1 trinket is 1/5th the price of the Marque I trinket.
Trinket
Size: Light
Resist: Cunning (marques down)

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Chapter 10
Activation Cost: 1 AP (see below)
This small, unremarkable box can be activated and deactivated
for 1 action point. Whenever someone enters a space adjacent to
the person carrying an activated alarm box, its pivoting speaker
turns toward them and blasts an ear-piercing siren. Afterward, the
alarm box shuts down, requiring it to be reactivated. Someone
must move towards the alarm box for it to sound; carrying or
throwing an alarm box past someone or activating an alarm box
for use against someone already adjacent to you will not activate
its alarm.
Deafened (-2 evade) for 1 turn
Deafened (-2 evade) for 2 turns
Deafened (-2 evade) for 3 turns
Deafened (-2 evade) for 4 turns
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
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 A lchemical Tooth E xtending P eriscope
Trinket Trinket
Size: Light Size: Medium
Cost: 0 AP Cost: 1 AP per 5 feet extended
This fake tooth is in reality a small capsule you can fill with a dose You have a one-handed and portable periscope that can be ma-
of an alchemical potion! For no action point cost during your turn neuvered around any number of corners, out of water, or out of a
you can bite down on it to release the potion into your system. cloud of smoke. The periscope is not very discreet in-and-of it-
self, and trying to be sneaky about it will require a cunning roll as
Tooth is crushed after every use, ruining your smile if you were hiding yourself. It costs 1 action point to extend your
Tooth can be refilled during a breather (15-30 minute periscope 5 feet, and the periscope can be extended a maximum
break) distance based on its marque.
Tooth can be refilled for 3 AP 20 feet
Tooth can be refilled for 1 AP 40 feet
Marque I II III IV 60 feet
Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes 80 feet
Marque I II III IV
Collapsible L adder Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
Trinket
Size: Medium or Heavy (when unwound) G asmask
The collapsible ladder is a bundle of rods that, when unwound, Trinket
form together to make a ladder. The ladder requires action points
to set up and take down, and it only goes so high, depending on Size: Light
the marque of the ladder. Cost to Put On: 3 AP
10 feet high and requires 10 AP to set up Not only does this poignant fashion statement require no hands
when it’s strapped to your face, it also helps filter your breathing,
20 feet high and requires 7 AP to set up protecting you from harmful airborne chemicals. Only one can
be worn at a time.
30 feet high and requires 4 AP to set up
40 feet high and requires 2 AP to set up +4 to resists against alchemical gases
+8 to resists against alchemical gases
Marque I II III IV
+12 to resists against alchemical gases
Market Price 5 princes 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes
+16 to resists against alchemical gases
Marque I II III IV
E ngineer’ s P atch
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
Trinket
Sciences
Chapter 10

Size: Medium
Application Cost: 2 AP
Engineer’s patches are magnetic patches able to quickly attach
and shape to an automaton or vehicle, temporarily repairing it.
Patches are not a perminant fix. Patches can be hit as a called
shot location on the item they’re attached to. If the patch is hit
by a called shot, its wearer will lose the regained wounds from the
patch as well as take the damage from the attack.
Restores 4 wounds
Restores 8 wounds
Restores 12 wounds
Restores 16 wounds
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 6 princes 30 princes 150 princes 750 princes

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G rabnet G rease Guzzler
Trinket Trinket
Size: Medium Size: Light
Cost: as a thrown weapon attack (generally 2 AP) Resist: Dexterity (negates, see below)
A medium-sized restraining device, people you successfully hit Activation Cost: 3 AP
with your net act as if they have been grabbed without you hav- This little contraption pours slippery grease all over a small area.
ing to be up-close-and-personal with them. While under your net Anybody who walks into the space of a grease guzzler must make
they cannot take any actions other than removing the net cap- a Dexterity result of tier 2 or fall prone. Upon standing up and
turing them. It can be used on enemies adjacent to you or shot trying to move, they must make the resist again. A grease guzzler
through a firearm with the delivery augment. may be used up to three times before having to refill it with the
Costs 1 AP to remove the grabnet slippery grease.
Costs 2 AP to remove the grabnet Covers a space 5 feet x 5 feet
Costs 3 AP to remove the grabnet Covers a space 10 feet x 5 feet
Costs 4 AP to remove the grabnet Covers a space 10 feet x 10 feet
Covers a space 15 feet x 10 feet
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes Marque I II III IV
Market Price 5 princes 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes
G rapple -Gun
Trinket Handcuffs
Size: Medium Trinket
Cost: 1 AP to launch, 1 AP to unlatch, 1 AP to retract Size: Light
This is a metal grappling hook launching device. The hook is de- Resist: Brute (negates)
signed to mechanically bend outward, attaching itself onto most Cost: 1 AP
surfaces perfectly. You can unlatch the hook from any surface
with a simple tug on its line. It can stick to most ledges and flat Handcuffs allow you to put a hold on someone you’re already
surfaces regardless of whether it is rocky, magnetic, rough, or grabbing. Perfect for those gentlemen adventurers of weaker phy-
slick. The maximum length of chain, cable, or rope that it can sique, you can attach one cuff of your set to any body part you
successfully propel upwards is 50 feet. How fast it can pull you currently are grabbing. Its extendable chain design allows it to
upwards is based on its marque. If you can get footing on the tighten around the biggest (and smallest) of limbs. One set of
surface you are climbing, your climb speed is added to the speed handcuffs consists of two cuffs which can attach to one limb
of your grappling hook. While hanging from one grappling hook, apiece. They remain attached until the person bound by them
you can easily fire another one further upwards with your other is able to break free or until you voluntarily remove them. Until
hand if you have a spare. then, the wearer of your handcuffs acts constantly grabbed. They
can move, but once both cuffs are grabbing something they can’t
20 feet per action point spent retracting use any limbs your handcuffs are attached to.
30 feet per action point spent retracting Tier 2 Brute to break free

Sciences
Chapter 10
40 feet per action point spent retracting Tier 3 Brute to break free
50 feet per action point spent retracting Tier 4 Brute to break free
Marque I II III IV Impossible (Unless you can somehow attain a Tier 5
Brute)
Market Price 6 princes 30 princes 150 princes 750 princes
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes

257
 HoverP ack Jaws of L ife
Trinket Trinket
Size: Heavy Size: Medium
The hover pack is a large boxy backpack that contains a graviton Cost: 2 AP to activate
sphere allowing its wearer to hover vertically. The jaws of life is a tool with thin, metal blades sticking out from
May move vertically 5 feet per move its base. It’s used for prying things open by sliding its blades into
an opening and activating it. Roll brute on behalf of the tool, us-
May move vertically 10 feet per move ing the indicated bonus.
May move vertically 15 feet per move +4 on the brute roll
May move vertically 20 feet per move +8 on the brute roll
Marque I II III IV +12 on the brute roll
Market Price 10 princes 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes +16 on the brute roll
Marque I II III IV
I llumitorch Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
Trinket
Size: Light M etal Cutter
Activation Cost: 1 AP
Trinket
An illumitorch looks, in many ways, like a normal torch. The dif-
ference is that it has a small bulb at the end. By rotating a knob, Size: Medium
the illumitorch creates light up to a distance away determined by Cost: 3 AP
its marque. It can be dimmed to illuminate anywhere from 5 to The metal cutter looks like a large pair of steam-powered wire
the maximum feet away. If you’re using an illumitorch in a small snips and functions in much the same way. Using the metal cut-
or enclosed area, it’s likely to light the entire area. ter requires 3 action points, but it can automatically cut through
25 feet a certain thickness of metal.
50 feet 3 inches of metal
75 feet 6 inches of metal
100 feet 1 foot of metal
3 feet of metal
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 2 princes 10 princes 50 princes 250 princes Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
I nsta -Bridge
Trinket M essenger Sphere
Sciences
Chapter 10

Size: Medium Trinket

Cost: 1 AP (see below) Size: Light
The Insta-Bridge is perfect for the more venturesome traveler. Cost: 2 AP to insert item, 3 AP to activate
Perfect for passing over ravines or creating handy ramps up hills, An efficient mode of communication, the messenger sphere ap-
the Insta-Bridge is 5 feet wide and hand-cranked. For every ac- pears as nothing more than a small hollow sphere you can place
tion point you spend cranking it, it will extend or retract 10 feet, a single concealable item, most commonly a written note, into. A
extending as far as its maximum length. It can be cranked in and destination can be programmed into it using dials representing
out from either of its two ends. While extended out 10 feet or longitude and latitude. When activated sides of the sphere extend
more, the Insta-Bridge becomes too cumbersome to lift. outward to form propellors, spinning quickly to create lift. It will
25 foot maximum length then fly toward its destination at a speed based on its marque.
50 foot maximum length 185 feet per turn (roughly 500 miles a day)
75 foot maximum length 370 feet per turn (roughly 1000 miles a day)
100 foot maximum length 555 feet per turn (roughly 1500 miles a day)
925 feet per turn (roughly 2500 miles a day)
Marque I II III IV
Market Price 6 princes 30 princes 150 princes 750 princes Marque I II III IV
Market Price 7 princes 35 princes 175 princes 875 princes
258
M old-Maker (a 15-30 minute break). You must spend action points to use each
item individually; you cannot combine actions to reduce action
Trinket point cost.
Size: Light Combines up to 2 Trinkets
A trinket made for the more thrifty adventurer, the mold-maker
is a blanket which hardens when it is wrapped around items of Combines up to 4 Trinkets
a size determined by its marque. This allows you to recreate any Combines up to 6 Trinkets
item you come across at its base material cost without the need
of a crafter specializing in that field. The mold-maker only copies Combines up to 10 Trinkets
the shape of an item and thus cannot replicate augments of any
kind. After so many uses the mold-maker will become stuck in Marque I II III IV
the form of the last item it copied. The mold-maker takes about Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
two minutes to use.
Can wrap around light or smaller items
Can wrap around medium or smaller items
P alm Injector
Trinket
Can wrap around heavy or smaller items
Size: Light
Can wrap around super-heavy or smaller items Activation Cost: 0 AP
Note: Most merchants won’t appreciate you making molds of This trinket puts a small button in your palm, hooked up to an
their wares. Please use responsibly. injector line. When you push the button (an action that requires
Marque I II III IV no action points), you are injected with a single alchemical sub-
stance of your choosing. Replacing the alchemical substance af-
Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes ter use requires a number of action points based on the marque
of the palm injector.
4 action points to reload
M ostly -U niversal L ock
3 action points to reload
Trinket
Size: Light 2 action points to reload
Cost: 1 AP to lock a held item, Ranged Called Shot to throw 1 action point to reload
As the name implies, this lock can secure almost anything. Doors, Alchemical substance not included.
luggage, handcuffs, vehicles and more can be sealed shut with
this device, and it takes anyone trying to lockpick it two free Marque I II III IV
hands and an amount of action points based on the marque of Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes
this augment to do so. If thrown accurately, it will automatically
lock any compatible item it lands on.
If you crafted the lock, you can also craft keys for it at
no cost. Keys allow you to unlock the lock for 1 action point.
P arachute Glider
Trinket
3 AP to pick the lock Size: Medium
5 AP to pick the lock Cost: 1 AP (can be done reflexively)

Sciences
Chapter 10
7 AP to pick the lock Designed with daredevils in mind, the parachute glider is a trin-
10 AP to pick the lock ket you can wear on your back. Not only will it prevent you from
taking any damage from falling, it will also keep you aloft by glid-
Marque I II III IV ing in place without falling for a number of turns based on its
marque, allowing you to keep on fighting any airborne foes who
Market Price 5 princes 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes sank your battle-airship. Your fall begins when your action points
refresh after your final turn of gliding. The parachute glider in-
Note: Making keys for a Mostly-Universal Lock has a material cludes a ripchord allowing you to end your time gliding prema-
cost of 1 dukes per key and a market cost of 5 dukes. turely for no action point cost.
1 turn before falling
Omni -Trinket 2 turns before falling
Trinket 5 turns before falling
Size: Light (see below)
Tired of having to switch between all of your trinkets? The omni- 10 turns before falling
trinket combines trinkets together into a single item, allowing you Marque I II III IV
to hold multiple trinkets at once! The omni-trinket at default is a
light item, but increases in size to match the largest sized item at- Market Price 5 princes 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes
tached to it. Items attached can be switched out during a breather
259
 P itcase P orta -Bull
Trinket Trinket
Size: Medium Size: Light
Cost: 1 AP to place, 3 AP to throw Cost: 3 AP
This trendy leather briefcase can quickly reveal the metal spiral Enemies behind cover will fear your crafty visage when you walk
on its side to be a collapsible drill. When placed in an adjacent up to their barricades and smash them with your tiny trinket. The
space or thrown up to 25 feet away, the pitcase will drill a circle 5 porta-bull is a handheld device designed to attach to a single
feet in diameter downwards up to 15 feet (you can set it to a lower piece of cover and repeatedly beat it with a hydraulic ram until
distance manually for no action point cost at any time before use). it breaks. It can be thrown a maximum of 50 feet. After a certain
It can also be held to tunnel you in any direction at a rate of 15 amount of damage to the cover it attaches itself to, the porta-bull
feet per action point. The pitcase cannot burrow through worked will fall off and will need to be picked up before it can be used
stones, mountains, metals or similar materials. again. Any damage it does to a piece of cover lasts until someone
Note: This market price for this trinket is 25 princes can repair the cover outside of combat. This device has too much
(and so costs 5 princes to make). trouble staying attached to flat, unmoving surfaces to be able to
ever attach to a living creature.

P ortable Doorframe Lowers cover by one degree before falling off

Lowers cover by two degrees before falling off
Trinket
Size: Medium Lowers cover by three degrees before falling off
Cost: Based on Marque (see below) Lowers cover by four degrees before falling off
Designed for true eccentrics, this gadget produces a free-stand- Note : The porta-bull is not strong enough to damage anything
ing doorframe, complete with door and knobs on both sides, at a considered full cover.
moment’s notice. This doorframe accomplishes little past putting
a door between you and any pursuers, although they can simply Marque I II III IV
open it for 1 action point or alternatively move around it. It easily Market Price 5 princes 25 princes 125 princes 625 princes
attaches to any wall or to other doorframes, although opening it
while it’s attached to a wall will reveal the solid wall behind it. It
provides heavy cover to anyone standing behind it while it is free-
standing and closed. P ropeller B oots
2 AP to deploy/retract Trinket
Size: Medium
1 AP to deploy/retract
These boots are simple looking enough, except for the large flip-
0 AP to deploy/retract out device on the back. Once activated (for just 2 action points),
0 AP to deploy/retract (and can be done reflexively) the boots activate a propeller on the back that comes around over
the heel of the boot. This grants a speed bonus to the wearer
Marque I II III IV when swimming.
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes +5 to swim speed
+10 to swim speed
+15 to swim speed
Sciences
Chapter 10

+20 to swim speed

Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes

260
P ulse Detector Spring -L oaded Sleeve
Trinket Trinket
Size: Light Size: Light
Resist: Cunning or Spirit (negates, see below) Cost: 0 AP to activate
Activation Cost: 2 AP The spring loaded sleeve holds a light weapon or small item (such
This is a small, flat, metal device with a glass cover. It is able to as a potion vial or explosive). With a flick, you can release the
pick up on the heartbeats of organisms around it. After picking spring, sending the item straight into your hand. (If your hand is
up on a heart beat, the trinket will display it by raising small pins not free, it’ll fall at your feet... and break, if it’s a potion vial.) Re-
under the glass in the direction of the heart beat’s source. tracting the spring takes a few seconds, depending on the marque
of the sleeve.
Somebody who is aware of the pulse detector can at-
tempt to hide their heartbeat, which requires a cunning or spirit 2 AP to retract
resist (target’s choice) with a result equal to the item’s marque.
1 AP to retract
Detects heart beats within 25 feet 0 AP to retract
Detects heart beats within 50 feet 0 AP reflexively to retract (can do it during anyone’s
Detects heart beats within 75 feet turn)
Detects heart beats within 100 feet Marque I II III IV
Marque I II III IV Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes
Market Price 6 princes 30 princes 150 princes 750 princes
Toolbelt
Reasonable Doubt Trinket
Trinket Size: Medium
Size: Light This utilitarian fashion accessory can store a number of light-size
items. These items are considered drawn, allowing you to switch
Cost: 1 AP to place, 2 AP to throw between them at no action point cost during your turn. Unfortu-
Worried about getting fingerprints on a lock? Perhaps you simply nately any items attached to your toolbelt are unconcealable and
prefer to have someone, or something, else do the dirty work? The suffer a -8 when resisting sundering. Wearing the toolbelt does
Reasonable Doubt lockpicking device will attach to any lock and not require hands.
quickly get to work picking it for you. When your action points
refresh it will spend a number of action points picking the lock Can hold two light items
based off of its marque. Can hold four light items
1 AP per turn spent lockpicking Can hold six light items
2 AP per turn spent lockpicking Can hold eight light items
3 AP per turn spent lockpicking
Marque I II III IV
4 AP per turn spent lockpicking
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes

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Marque I II III IV
Market Price 8 princes 40 princes 200 princes 1000 princes

261
 Vacuum of Fire W all -Scaler
Trinket Trinket
Size: Medium Size: Light
Cost: 2 AP to release fire This handheld item has a rotating, barbed head at the end. It will
What appears to be nothing more than a common household snatch on to any wall it is put up against and climb up it, leaving
cleaning appliance is actually the latest in fire-fighting technol- small indentions along the wall. It requires one hand to hold on
ogy. When aimed at a fire of any kind within 10 feet, this suction to, and cannot climb up very solid walls (like a wall made out of
device will decrease the amount of action points required to put steel) or inclines.
the fire out to a minimum of 1 action point. Once the required ac- Wall-scaler can move 10 feet per turn
tion points have been spent, you can choose to extinguish the fire
normally or suck the fire into your vacuum. If you choose the lat- Wall-scaler can move 20 feet per turn
ter, you can spray the fire back out onto a different area or person.
It retains whatever tier of fire it was previously and can be blasted Wall-scaler can move 30 feet per turn
anywhere within 10 feet. The vacuum can hold one charge of fire Wall-scaler can move 40 feet per turn
at a time. If the fire it ingests would normally destroy it from the
outside, it will destroy it from the inside as well, the flame ex- Marque I II III IV
tinguishing afterwards. You can permanently extinguish a flame Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes
inside of your vacuum for no action point cost at any time.
-1 AP to extinguish flame (to a minimum of 1)
-2 AP to extinguish flame (to a minimum of 1) W ater-Filter
-3 AP to extinguish flame (to a minimum of 1) Trinket
-4 AP to extinguish flame (to a minimum of 1) Size: Light
Cost: 2 AP per vial
Marque I II III IV Ideal for travelers entering less-hospitable areas of the world (or
Market Price 10 princes 50 princes 250 princes 1250 princes afraid of poisons), this bottle cap fits onto most vials of liquid.
Its perforated top can be used to pour out any unwanted particles
and chemicals, leaving you with a vial of pure water. This filter
will break with repeated uses.
W alker
3 uses before breaking
Trinket
Size: Medium 15 uses before breaking
Cost: 1 AP to activate 75 uses before breaking
This is a device that walks forward in a straight line at a speed of 500 uses before breaking
20 feet per turn. It weighs roughly equivalent to a gnome and sets Note: A water filter made with your DIY will never break unless
off most traps it walks across. it leaves your care.
Will take 10 damage before breaking Marque I II III IV
Will take 20 damage before breaking Market Price 3 princes 15 princes 75 princes 375 princes
Will take 30 damage before breaking
Sciences
Chapter 10

Will take 40 damage before breaking

Marque I II III IV
Market Price 4 princes 20 princes 100 princes 500 princes

262
 Chapter 10

263
Sciences
 Chapter 11

Narrating
Narrating
Chapter 11

264
 Introducing
the Narrator
At the gaming table, the players are responsible for a hand- they get some downtime to relax, you have control. Or, at your
ful of things: they must bring their character sheet, a couple discretion, you can have the adventurers just encounter a lone
pencils, some dice, maybe even a miniature. They should warrior in town during their downtime. This is all part of your
also be keeping up with the game’s narrative and the recur- cinematic control.
ring characters in the world. Of course, their greatest re- Build the plots you want to build and pace the story as
sponsibility is roleplaying their characters appropriately and fast or slow as you want.
making sure that they’re adding to their fellow adventurers’ Awesomeness Factor: You get to choose how awe-
enjoyment of the game. some the adventurers feel. When the adventurers are fighting
The narrator’s responsibilities are similar, except the some minions while sloshing through a swamp, there might not
be a high level of awesome. You might downplay that fight, mak-
narrator must bring a greater imagination and energy level ing it dirty, painful, and slow. But when they beat those mooks
to the game. What is the narrator? Where a player represents and make their way to the giant tentacled behemoth that is their
a single character interacting with the world, the narrator is boss, that fight could have an enormous energy level, high action,
literally everything else. and great combo sequences. How awesome your characters feel
The narrator is every other person in the world. is up to you.
The narrator is responsible for describing every setting and Evoking God Powers: As the narrator, you literally
event. The narrator is the director of the adventurers’ story. control everything that is not the player’s character. You have
They players are the main characters, and the narrator is the the ability to strike down an adventurer with a random lightning
supporting caste, the antagonists, the challenges, and the bolt, have their gun explode on them for no apparent reson, or
setting it all takes place in. The narrator sets the stage, and simply say that they die from a heart attack while walking down
the players take the spotlight. the street. Please avoid these options - nobody’s going to enjoy
them.
You have the power to bend the world as you will, but
c Different from the Master c by encouraging the adventurers to be outgoing and make of the
world what they will, you’re giving them the power. They’ll sur-
A lot of games will use different terminology - you’ll see Game prise you, keep you on your toes, and, in the end of the day, ev-
Master, Dungeon Master, Game Referee, Storyteller, and any eryone will be having fun.

Keeping Focused o
number of other possible titles for the narrator. But the narra-
tor is not the master. The narrator is charged with setting the
scene and controlling the cinematic pacing of the game, but Roleplaying among friends is always a fun and exciting dynamic
the players and their adventurers are the true masters of the but can also be irritating when you’re trying to advance a story-
game. The adventurers control what happens during the story, line and the players just want to goof around. In order to stay
how they act, and what they do. The narrator simply reacts and focused, here’re a couple possible solutions:
keeps the game flowing in the right direction.
Start with a Bang: Getting the session started can
Narrating
That’s not to say that the narrator is without power. often be the hardest part of the game. There are a wide variety of Chapter 11
The narrator is the decider on all rules matters, controls how starting methods. You could simply begin describing the scene.
the world interacts with the characters, and whether the game You could ask one of the players to describe what happened in
can even be played at all. And, of course, the narrator can al- the last session. You could throw down a stack of Tephra books
ways use a stray lightning bolt to keep the players in line. on the table, making a bit of a thundercrack, and snap everyone’s
attention toward you. Or you could roll a die and ask the player to
Cinematic Control o your right to make a dexterity resist. That’ll get their attention!
Energy Levels: Narrating a game can be simultane-
The narrator’s greatest power lies in their cinematic control. The ously exhausting and exhilarating. Keeping everyone’s energy
narrator decides how fast the gameplay is, how quickly the next level can be difficult, starting with your own. When you’re leaning
adversary arrives, how awesome the adventurers are when they’re forward in your chair, waving your arms around, and talking in
swinging from chandeliers and fighting the berzerking elves down excited voices, your players will follow suit. The more excited you
below. These are all facets of the narrator’s power. are, the more excited everyone else will be. Excitement and yawns
Tephra is designed not to impede upon your cinematic work the same way: they’re infectious.
control. If you want the players to have to fight 20 enemies before A lot of roleplayers will drink large quantities of soda,
265
 game all night, and snack on chips during the game. We at money will make memorable characters. Not every character
Cracked Monocle would never officially advise against this, but needs to be exciting and memorable. If you use the same voice
do try to get a little bit of sleep before the game and drink some for all of the cityfolk, nobody’s going to be bothered by it. But
water - caffeine is so much more effective when it has some water when an adventurer wants to start interacting with somebody of
to keep hydrated. note, give them a unique voice or mannerism and you’ll have an
Table Banter: You game with a group of friends, and instantly identifiable NPC.
friends like to talk, especially when they haven’t seen each other And try to remember how you played those characters.
in a while. Don’t try to quell the table banter entirely (it won’t The more consistent the characters are, the more attached and
work!), but if it becomes too much, ask the players if they could realistic your world becomes.
refocus on the storyline a bit, as you have some pretty awesome Built to Die: You should keep in mind that all adver-
scenes coming up. (Give them something to focus on - that’ll saries, NPCs, and supporting character have a high chance of
quiet them down and get them focused!) dying during your saga. Don’t grow too attached to them - ad-
The Gaming Environment: You can game pretty venturers will either kill them, something terrible will happen to
much anywhere: in the car, while tubing a river, or around a table. them for the sake of advancing the plot, or they’ll be one of the
Yet each environment offers its own set of distractions to keep few lucky ones who survive the whole chain of events. Regard-
your game from running smoothly. If you’re at your house, it’s less, be ready for it.
going to be the television and those cursed video games. If it’s at NPC Roles: The supporting cast can come in many
your friendly local gaming store, it’ll be everyone else there. If it’s shapes and colors. Your NPCs might be mere townspeople, the
in your car, it’ll be all of those silly people driving around you. (In bartender, or a crazed mastermind bent on taking over the world
all seriousness, please focus on driving before gaming.) using his small, toy-like, robot army. Some roles include the rival,
If you’re playing in a public environment, such as at the adversary, the mentor, the assistant, the merchant, the friend,
a convention or in your friendly local gaming store, there’ll be or the wildcard. The more defined a person’s role is in the adven-
people passing by, things to look at, and interruptions. The best turers’ lives, the more likely they are to seek that person out in the
thing to do is just to learn to ignore them and get into your game: future.

Providing Direction o
it’ll be a great life skill if you can master it.

Descriptions o You don’t have control over where the adventurers go or how they
One of your greatest tasks is describing the world that the ad- act, but you can provide direction to them. The local law enforce-
venturers are experiencing. The better the description, the more ment might come to them, asking the adventurers to go out of
enthralled your audience will be. Every aspect that you describe district and solve a gang problem for them. Or a scientist might
is an opportunity for the players to interact with the world. If you hire the adventurers to protect the scientist while he unveils his
describe the local pub’s table as having some names carved into newest experiment. These are hooks for quests and adventures
it, the adventurers might ask the bartender who it was that carved that your adventurers can endeavor on. They’re the most blatant
their names into the table. That could introduce them to the bar- ways of providing direction; but, given the right rewards, they’re
tender, who they’ll get to know, then the adventurers will build a rather effective method.
a connection with the pub. Before long, you’ll have a permanent Sometimes you’ll want to provide directions that are a
feature in your game. bit more subtle. This can be done by providing clues in your
One of the best ways of describing a location is to focus description. If the players walk into a pub, you could describe
in on a centerpiece. Say the adventurers are walking into a buzz- certain characters in the pub in much greater detail. This draws
ing and crowded marketplace. What makes that marketplace dif- attention to them and encourages the adventurers to go interact
ferent? The statue in the center, towering over nearby buildings, with those characters. Perhaps they’re exploring the sewers and
of Tailemy’s Beloved Mother, with fountains all around the tall notice something shiny embedded in the walls. By exploring that
marble statue. The statue’s description sets a tone for the market- gem, they’re following your directions.
place, and helps the players fill in the rest of the location in their The better your descriptions are, the more inquisitive
mind. your players will become. If you describe the gem in the sewer

Designing NPCs o
wall, they’ll start asking questions about it, trying to figure out
how it works, what it does, or why it’s here. Once you start getting
Narrating

questions, you know your players are hooked.

Chapter 11

First off, what’s an NPC? It’s a non-player character, or anybody

in the world who is not one of the player’s characters. An NPC is Railroading: You should avoid railroading your ad-
a member of the supporting cast, an adversary, a rival, or nothing venturers. Railroading is dragging the players by the nose and
more than a person walking down the street, going about their not allowing them to go out and explore on their own. Railroad-
business. ing is when the players feel like they have no options beyond the
Every NPC should be treated as a real person. The NPC one that you’ve put in front of them, and that they have no control
will have emotions, goals, and wants. They aren’t there specifi- over the storyline - it’s just going to progress exactly as you’ve set
cally for the adventurers (though they exist because of the adven- it out to.
turers). The more interesting and diverse your NPCs, the more As you grow as a narrator, you’ll learn to give such solid
the players are going to buy into the world, the more friendships directions and descriptions that the adventurers will want to fol-
they’re going to build with your characters, and the more that low your plots and storylines without feeling like they’re being
horrible events are going to emotionally affect them. led. If you absolutely must railroad the storyline, make sure that
Roleplaying a wide cast of NPCs can be difficult but ex- the train’s cabins are plenty big enough for the players to still feel
ceptionally rewarding. Giving an NPC a noticable cough, a habit like they have room to explore.
of rubbing his nose, or a twitch whenever somebody mentions
266
 of a restraunt where they just had lunch with an important duke
c Out of Bounds c when the entire building explodes, and they’re the only suspects!
Every game can begin with a murder, and the bigger and flashier
Sometimes the adventurers will want to explore some facet of the murder, the more exciting the mystery.
your world that you haven’t developed or you aren’t ready for Political: A local count has been challenged to a duel,
them to be adventuring in. If that happens, just let them know but believes that the duel is going to be rigged. A lady has had
that you’re not ready for it. Ask your players if they wouldn’t an adulterous affair and needs somebody to come clean up after
mind doing something else during this game, or, if there’s not her. A prolific scientist needs just a few more supplies to complete
really any other option beyond going where they want to go, let his experiment, but the local mafia is hijacking his supplies. An
them know that you’re going to need to either end the session estranged son is the only person who knows the code to his late
early or take a break to prepare. father’s vault, and what’s inside is a city’s only chance for survival.
For the sake of the game, hopefully they’ll understand. Political games are high-thought, roleplaying-oriented games
that require some light steps and some fast thinking.

o
These are just a few of the types of games you might
Narrating on the Fly encounter or think up, as there are literally thousands of op-
Often times you will be called on to make things up on the fly. tions.
Suddenly, the adventurers are really interested in finding a per-
fumery and getting to know the owner. Well, you’ve now got to
describe the perfumery, give it a name, and describe the old lady
running it.
Try to draw upon your own experiences or movies that
you’ve seen. If you’ve never been to a perfumery, just try to imag-
ine what would be there. (If the players think that your perfumery
is unrealistic, just tell them that this is a unique perfumery, and
the owner is a little batty - it’ll solve all of your problems.) Can’t
think of a name? Just put a person’s name in front of the title of
the shop - “Rose’s Perfumery” or “Charlotte’s Scents” will work
perfectly.
Being able to narrate on the fly will lead you to your
most creative moments and, as a narrator, nothing can get the
adrenaline going as much as an impromptu scene coming to-
gether.

Types of Adventures o
There are thousands of possible adventures that your players
might find their way through, everything from daring rescues
aboard airships to interupting weddings because the prince is
marrying a mutated hag to saving the city from exploding be-
cause a gnomish alchemist was about to accidently mix two rather
volatile chemicals in his underground laboratory. Here’s a couple
common adventures to get those gears rotating:
Airship Raid: The adventurers have to board an airship
that pirates have taken over. Pirates are attackig the adventurer’s
airship! An autonamous airship is devouring other airships in the
sky. The adventurers are aboard an airship when a mutiny occurs
and they need to stop it. A Paldoran stormship is approaching
and the adventurers need to buffer their airship’s defenses. When
Narrating
you’re aboard an airship, the sky’s the limit for adventure design! Chapter 11
Crypts, Dungeons, & Sewers: A mad scientist left a
note at the capital saying that he’s planted a bomb in the sewers
under the city. A gang of miscreants and mutants are attack-
ing people then taking refuge in the ancient crypts built under
the city’s cathedrals. Somebody breaks out of the local prison,
and now the prisoners have taken over the entire complex. Delv-
ing into dark, dank, and dangerously enclosed spaces can be the
highlight of any adventure.
Murder Mystery: The adventurers are hired as guards
at a noble ball, but the host is murdered during his favorite song.
The adventurers keep hearing about disappearances at their fa-
vorite pub, and a hooded man has a clue about who’s going to be
targeted next. The maiden voyage of an airship begins with di-
saster when the captain is killed. The adventurers are walking out
267
 Assembling a Party
Sometimes the hardest part of narrating is getting a group of
friends who are willing to play together. Sometimes that transfers
over into the game, in which the greatest difficulty is getting a c Sagas versus Campaigns c
group of eccentric, misfit adventurers to travel together. How- Dungeons & Dragons players and those from numerous oth-
ever, there are tips and tricks for accomplishing both monumental er games will give the name “campaigns” to their multiple-
tasks. session-spanning stories. We prefer sagas. Campaigns evoke

Appropriate Party Size o

a sense of military strategy and warfare. Most campaigns in
Tephra are less about the military and battle aspect and more
about the story. When you combine multiple stories over a long
The game is designed for 4-5 people to be the average party size. period of time, you have a saga.
Our adventurers will be balanced against 4-5 adventurers. How-
ever, the size of your party is whatever you are comfortable with. That said, if you want to run a campaign, that’s no
If you just want to play with 2 or 3 of your friends, that can lead skin off our back. We just think the word saga might be more
to some fantastic and intimate roleplaying opportunities, where fitting.
each character can have plenty of limelight time and develop into
Building Characters o
their own full character.
Some parties, on the other hand, can be quite large.
Some narrators do well with 6, 7, or 12 players. Handling a larger When you begin a game, make sure everyone’s on the same page
group can be a challenge, as it requires you to divert your atten- with character creation. A brief description of the type of ad-
tion among multiple people and keep track of where they are. venturers you expect can go a long way toward forming a cohe-
In larger groups, it’ll be easier to focus on a handful of players sive group and a substantial narrative. If you tell the party, “build
and allow other adventurers to get lost in the background. When mercenaries,” you’re going to get a wide range of morality. But
you’re handling a large group, expect some chaos, some splitting if you say, “build mercenaries who are generally good people,”
up of the party, and a lot of table banter. But, with patience, hav- you’ve narrowed the focus down enough that the party should
ing such a large audience can lead to some truly amazing scenes come together, especially given goals that fit within that purview
and stories. (mercenaries like money and good people have a habit of per-

Planning a Saga o
forming good deeds, both aspects that make adventure planning
significantly easier).
The greatest stories are often told over multiple episodes. Every Most groups will want to, and probably should, build
time your group gets together and plays, that’s a session. If you characters together. This will help drive home that cohesiveness,
link the story and characters over multiple sessions, you’ve built especially if the party discusses their respective roles. While hav-
yourself a saga. A successful saga can be earth-shattering, full of ing solid and defined party roles isn’t always necessary, it can defi-
moments and memories that no other form of game can offer. nitely be beneficial when different aspects of combat are covered.
But there are a number of reasons why sagas will fail, and most Most often, you can build characters according to attributes: is
of the time that’s a lack of planning. there one character per major attribute? Is there a brute character
(who will likely be great at melee fighting), a cunning character
While we’ll leave plotting out the saga to you, we have (who makes every other character even better, in addition to be-
a spot of advice for getting all of your players ready for a saga. ing just the right person to take care of out-of-combat problems),
Foremost, let them know that you want a saga that will take multi- and a dextrous character (who can fill melee or ranged combat
ple sessions. Your saga might just be three sessions long. It might roles, as well as having a strong speed advantage)? Spirit and sci-
span several years, both in our world and that of the adventurers. ence characters are mixed bags that are going to monumentally
Try and find an appropriate time and place to meet. Many groups
Narrating

improve the party or fill roles that are lacking elsewhere.

Chapter 11

will play every week. For others, that sort of time committment
can be daunting, and biweekly sessions or fewer are ideal. Of You can always have people build characters at home
course, for the truly dedicated players, even once per week isn’t and bring them to the game. It’ll give you more time to play and
enough. probably create a slightly more eccentric group. Of course, the
decision is yours.
Let your players know what you expect from the cam-
paign. If you don’t communicate that you want to run a game
about big game hunters tracking down and killing bio-engi-
neered abomination, you might get a player who makes an airship
captain, and another player who makes a lone ninja warrior who’s
only interest is in finding her missing family. Those characters
might not mesh so well with your saga’s goals. Let the players
know what you want to run, and work together to make characters
that will fit into the saga you envision.

268
 c Everything You Need to Know to Run Tephra c

Running a Combat o
So you’ve been told, at the very last minute, that you need to run
a Tephra game, and you’re not even very familiar with the rules.
This is a big book. There are a lot of rules. There are thousands Thankfully, most of the difficulty in running a successful com-
of character options. How in the world are you going to wrap bat comes in setting up a cool story and scene. Players will en-
your mind around this enormous ruleset with so little time? joy having their characters shine and blow up the bad guys with
And with no ability to practice? ease, so if you mess up a combat and make it too easy, not too
Actually, it’s all quite easy. worry! The awesomeness of the players will quickly out-weigh
You can run a pretty solid game knowing only the ba- your mistakes.
sics of Tephra. Your players created their own characters so Combat Order: Begin a combat for calling for priori-
they should be able to play their characters correctly. You don’t ty. Rank everybody according to the highest priority rolls. Then,
need to know all of the rules for how their characters function. roll for your enemies and throw yourself into the ranking.
Here’s what you need to know. Attacking: When you attack, you’re going to roll ac-
Attributes o
curacy against their evade. If your accuracy is as good as their
evade, you hit them. If the players are attacking you, you’re go-
You’re going to be asking for attribute rolls whenever the char- ing to be rolling evade, and if their accuracy is equal or greater
acters make an action that has a chance for failure or great suc- than your evade, they hit you.
cess. Your characters have five attributes: brute, cunning, dex- Once an attack has successfully landed, damage will
terity, spirit, and sciences. When they roll, they’ll tell you what be dealt. You can roll strike to see how much damage you deal.
tier they received, ranking them from 1 (adequate or average) up Look at the weapon’s damage class (for example, a normal
to 4 (stunningly beyond human). Here’s when to ask for them: sword, which is a medium weapon, will have a damage class of
Brute: Call for a brute roll when your characters are 6). The tier that your strike receives will multiply the damage
doing something that involves physical strength and stamina. class. So if you get tier 1, you’ll deal 6 damage. If you get tier 2,
Are they holding a door closed? Are they trying to wrestle an you’ll deal 12 damage. So on and so forth.
object out of an enemy’s grasp? Are they trying to hold their Soaking damage works the exact same way, except that
breath while swimming through underwater ruins? you’ll be rolling defense and multiplying the tier you receive
Dexterity: You’ll need a dexterity roll when your with your soak class. If they deal you 10 damage, and you soak
characters are doing something that requires precision or flex- 2 of it, your enemy takes 8 damage total.
ibility. Are they acrobatically jumping off a roof ? Are they per- Victory: Knowing how to attack is important, but
forming an intricate dance that requires great footing? Or are what’s more important is knowing when for your enemies to die.
they trying to sneak down a hallway on the tips of their toes? If you have adversaries already built, you can just keep track of
Cunning: The characters will need their cunning at their hit points. But, if you don’t, just have them die when you
any point that smarts, charisma, or awareness come into the think it’s best for the fight’s narrative. Did your adventurers just
equation. Are they trying to convince a guard to let them pass? deal an awesome amount of damage to the enemy? Time for
Are they trying to deceipher the old writing on a water-stained him to die!
parchment? Or are they attempting to find the escaped assas- You don’t always need to be precise with your adversar-
sin who has surely hidden himself somewhere in the baron’s ies’ hit points and wounds. You can have them last longer (to
manor? keep a great fight scene going) or have them die earlier (if the
Spirit: You’ll call for a spirit roll when the characters fight’s gone on long enough). Just do what seems natural. And
need to display their force of self and willpower. Are the heroes if you don’t want the enemy to die but you want to show that
tired, bedraggled, and aching when suddenly a chase scene oc- progress is being made, have the player who hit him roll for a
curs? Are they overcome by fear from size of the advancing random wound or fatal effect (found on the called shots page in

Narrating
army and trying not to run away? Or has the enemy taken con- the first chapter). That’ll make them feel equally cool. Chapter 11

Read the First Page o

trol of their minds and only their overwhelming sense of self
can get control of their bodies back?
Sciences: The need for specific knowledges will have If you read this page and you’ve read the first page of the Chap-
you asking for a sciences roll. Are the adventurers trying to dis- ter 1: the Clockwork System, you’ll be more than ready to run
able a bomb from taking out the city? Are they attempting to a game using the Tephra rules. Now you’ve just got to make a
understand the mad scientists plans so they know how to thwart plotline! And remember - bring energy to the game and have
them? Or are they trying to repair their dirigible before it crash- fun, and nobody will call you out for your rules-light approach
es into the mountains below? to the game.
These five attributes will be the vast majority of rolls
that you, as a narrator, need to call for. The rest are going to be
combat specific.

269
 Handling the Rules
Determining Priority o c “Fudging” Rolls c
When combat begins, normally establishing priority is the first
thing that you’ll want to do. Priority tells you who acts first, sec- As the narrator, you can often fudge your rolls. What is fudg-
ond, and so-on. When everyone rolls priority, determine who has ing? It is cheating, changing the number, or just assuming
the highest priority and have them act first. If people tie, they can the result of your roll. Maybe the enemy rolled a phenomenal
either roll off or allow one of the people in the tie to go first. evade... for the 15th time... and you just want the adventurers to
Enemy Priority: You’ll roll an enemy’s priority and hit him. So you fudge it. You tell the player that his character
mix it in with the adventurers’ priority rolls. If you have a ton of hit, even though the die side otherwise.
enemies, have them all act at once (possibly using the average of Why would you fudge your rolls? Some narrators will
their priority bonus to determine when they go). If you only have never fudge a roll, as it decreases the randomness and the ex-
a handful, you can have them all go at separate times. citement of narrating. But, sometimes, for sake of the storyline
Circumstances: Priority can sometimes be altered by or the pacing of the combat, some narrators will alter the re-
the circumstances of the fight. If one person is proclaiming that sults of the die in order to attain a specific effect. Maybe this
they swing their steam-powered baton (and thus commencing turn they really needed the enemy to hit harder than the die roll
combat), you can feel free to give them a bonus on priority. This allowed in order for another character to make an appearance
could deserve a +3, +6, or +12 (depending on how much you and save the day. Or perhaps, as in the example above, you’ve
think they deserve to go first). realized that your adversary is just too powerful and you need
to start fudging the dice rolls to make the combat more excit-
Remember though, sometimes that steam-powered ba- ing.
ton might be in mid-swing, but another character still takes the Regardless of your reason, make sure that your fudg-
higher priority. This simulates one character’s phenomenal reac- ing is appropriate and not overused. Also, don’t get caught do-
tion time. Maybe the man making the first attack gains a +6 on ing it - as soon as your players recognize that you’re changing
his priority, and he gets a 13 total. Still, Slim-Eyed Jack rolled your own die rolls, so much of the magic of rolling the dice is
really well and came out with a 21. The man with the baton is at- lost. Use this power sparingly.
tacking fast, but Slim-Eyed Jack was ready for it and his reaction
is going to come before the starting action is even resolved.
Priority as a Reaction Speed: Priority can also be racy penalty due to the whipping winds between the airships. If
used to determine who acts first when something is immediately a fight is on a bridge, let the adventurers and adversaries make
happening. Maybe the villain is pulling out his doomsday device, liberal usage of their trips and push-backs, but then - for a more
and two adventurers shoot at him (since it’s a reflexive attack). cinematic scene - let the adventurers make a dexterity roll as they
You could have both adventurers roll priority to determine which fall off the bridge to grab on to the ledge as they fall.
one gets their shot off first.
Keep in mind that an enclosed area changes combat just
Option: Rolling Early as much as an open one. Any character with a heavy rifle can
shoot accurately from 200 feet away, and if you’re using min-
Sometimes (especially in bigger groups), the excitement of en- iatures on a grid map, that’s probably going to be the length of
tering a fight can be diluted by rolling priority and setting up a the table. A fight taking place out in the open is going to make
turn order. If you feel like this tends to be the case, roll priority heavy use of firearms while the melee fighters are trying to make
well before the combat or during a break. Determine the turn their way across the open field. But you take those same combat-
order in the event of a combat. (Then, if somebody gains a ants and put them in a cramped alleyway and suddenly the melee
circumstantial bonus to their priority, have them simply move fighters will shine. If you’re going to use an open field for a fight,
Narrating

up the turn order.)

Chapter 11

throw in some rubble, trees, or old fences to act as cover. This

This way, once combat begins, you instantly get to the will let the melee fighters and sneaky characters get closer to the
first person’s turn. No book-keeping required. ranged combatants while making use of cover and hiding spots,

Terrain o
evening out the playing field.

Varying terrains are a great way to keep a battle interesting. While

a fight in the middle of a grassy plain is all fine and dandy, tak- c Grids: Squares versus Hexes c
ing that same fight and putting it on board a swaying airship
during a lightning storm can take it from merely fun all the way Tephra is designed to most easily use a square grid. However,
to fantastic! you’ll have to change virtually nothing if you decide to go with
hexes. A hex grid will give you a more realistic since of move-
Feel free to have fun and get creative when dealing with ment, you won’t have to deal with any odd diagonal rulings,
terrains. Wind, precipitation, and poor lighting will all provide and turning will make a little more sense. You can easily swap
cover bonuses to those fighting. If a fight is taking place between between square grids and hex grids, so use whichever one you
two speeding airships, give those firing between them an accu- like most.
270
Stealth & Infiltrations o Assigning Attribute Penalties o
Stealth missions can be extremely rewarding, but likewise excep- You should be fairly liberal with attribute penalties, as a charac-
tionally difficult to pull off, especially with a full team of 4-5 ter’s attributes can become fairly high (especially when a charac-
adventurers. Often times a stealth mission will be a brief aside ter is using their favored attribute). When a player announces that
accomplished by one or two members of the party who are well they are going to roll for something, or you ask them to roll an at-
equipped for it. Here are some tricks to keep in mind when deal- tribute, let them know what penalties they’ll be taking and why.
ing with stealth and infiltrations. A character’s attributes assume everything is “average.”
Give Players Different Roles: Normally, an infil- If they are trying to lift something heavy, it is of average heavi-
tration is going to be led by the one or two people in the party ness. If they are trying to sneak into a room, the conditions are
who have a high enough dexterity to sneak in somewhere si- average. If they are trying to convince a guard to leave his post,
lently. But while they’re doing that, where’s the brutish charac- there are not mitigating circumstances. Thus, when something is
ter in heavy armor going to be? Why, he’s making a distraction unusual, that’s when you’ll apply penalties. Let the player know
downstairs! Perhaps the brute character helps pummel the guards that the statue is extremely heavy and will warrant a -8 on their
at the front door, drawing guards away from the back while the roll. Let the player know that the hallway is brightly lit and the
stealthier characters rush in. floors creak as they walk, warranting the -6 you’re going to assign
Inventors and smart characters can help with the plan- their roll.
ning, or they can tag along just behind the stealthy characters Sometimes a factor won’t be immediately obvious to the
to help deal with any surprises. Cunning is just as important to adventurer. Perhaps they’re trying to convince a guard to leave
stealth as is dexterity. Dexterity rolls will be used to see how qui- his post, but that guard is fiercely loyal to his employer and is
etly a person can move, but cunning will help pick locks, find hid- well paid to be so. The adventurers don’t have that information,
ing spots, and get through any situations with minimal problems. so they don’t know that it’s going to be exceptionally difficult to
Espionage, a cunning skill, is the bread and butter here. convince the gaurd to leave. In this circumstance, don’t inform
Your goal should be to make everyone feel important. the players of any penalties they’ll be receiving.
While not every character is properly equipped to perform the Of course, this gives you the perfect opportunity to let
infiltration, everyone brings something to the table. Some people the cunning adventurer shine. Let the cunning adventurer try to
are talkers, some people are good at getting to the rooftop, and recognize when something is working against them. That way
the tinkerer is going to have a number of gadgets that will get they’ll know what penalties they’ll be receiving on their rolls, and
the party through locked doors, past traps, and right into their why.

Ambushes & Surprise Attacks o

destination.
Regularity of Checks: Having the adventurers roll
their dexterity to see how quietly they sneak in doesn’t need to It is when an ambush occurs that Tephra’s hit point system re-
be overdone. Have the players give you an intitial roll when they ally shines. Hit points are a reflection of combat adrenaline and
get going to see, overall, how well they do. Then, if anything un- stamina, and when a person isn’t ready for a fight, they’re hit
usual happens, have them roll again. If they are nearing guards, points aren’t up. If the adventurers are in a pub, resting at the end
they might roll again. If they step on a creaky step going up the of the day, and they’re suddenly attacked by assassins, their hit
stairs, that might call for a roll. Likewise, you can let the cunning points are going to be down. This will give the ambushers a quick
characters shine by allowing them a roll to notice a creaky step way of dealing some solid wounds damage before the combat
so that the adventurers might ignore it completely. Keep each roll starts in ernest, giving the adventurers a beginning handicap.
exciting and give it a reason. Let every roll increase the tension,
and it’ll make for a more dramatic scene. Be careful with your use of ambushes and surprise at-
tacks. Adventurers only have an average of 12 wounds, so a good
Silent Kills: Fights are loud, messy affairs. Without hit from a heavy rifle could take a character out before they even
silencers of some sort, firearms will be a dead giveaway for any know what’s going on. While this is accurate to real life, it doesn’t
battle. Most lazy guards (as well as any encountered servants or make a very fun game. Nobody likes to have their prized charac-
other random people the adventurers encounter during an infil- ter suddenly die when they weren’t ready for it. It’s not sporting.
tration) will have their hit points down. If the adventurers can
deal a substantial amount of damage quickly before an enemy It’s very rare that adventurers are able to pull off a suc-
can react, they should be able to kill or incapacitate the target cessful ambush or surprise attack, but, when they do, give them
Narrating
before the target can react and get their hit points up. More alert all of the bonuses that you can. An awesome victory caused by Chapter 11
guards will keep their hit points up, ready for an incoming attack. good planning will be something the adventurers talk about for
These will be difficult battles and will likely bring trouble; use ages to come.
alert guards when you’re ready for the stealth to be at an end. Point Blank and Off-Guard: Sometimes an adven-
The Quick Infiltration: Sometimes an infiltration turer will end up surrounded by guards, with a dozen rifles point-
mission doesn’t need to take more than 10-20 minutes of time ing at him, and his hands in the air. While the player might think
at the table, and this is when having just one or two adventur- he’s perfectly justified in believing that he could reach down, grab
ers take part is key. If the adventurers just need to sneak into a his revolvers, and start firing before a dozen bullets hit him and
residence, grab a key, and get out, it might be best to let just the kill him instantly, it isn’t terribly realistic.
more stealthy characters shine while the rest of the party waits Sometimes you must force your adventurers to have their
at the pub. These quick infiltration missions should revolve keep hit points down. In such a situation, you should let the player
guards mostly unaware (with their hit points down, allowing for know that if the gun-toting enemies all get off their shots first,
quick kills), and get the adventurers in and out quickly. they’ll be hitting the character as if the character doesn’t have
their hit points up. This will encourage the adventurer to continue
the negotiation through its proper course.
271
 House Rules o
Of course, a distraction (such as another character
shooting one of the riflemen in the back) or rising tensions dur-
ing the negotiation might give the adventurer just the moment he Sometimes you’ll make a ruling that differs from what Tephra
needs to pull out his revolver and get his hit points up. If such recommends. You might even find a hole in the rules that Tephra
a moment arises, let the player know. You can also let the player doesn’t account for (oops). In these instances, just make up a
make a priority roll to see how quickly he gets ready for combat; house rule on the fly, let the players know about the house rule,
of course, a poor priority roll in such a dire situation could be and move forward. It’s also a good idea to let the players know
lethal. that the house rule might change after the session if you find a

Visualization o
better way of working it between sessions or discover the actual
rule. But during the session, when the intensity is high, make the
Tephra is designed to be a tabletop roleplaying game used with rule and move forward.
a grid on the table and miniatures to represent the characters. House rules can cause some problems that you should be
While not every scene or fight needs a map, some will benefit aware of. As we’ve said, Tephra is based on a complex clockwork
from it. We recommend using a grid map with 1-inch squares, but mechanism. If you adjust one part, the entire system can change.
you can use whatever means you feel best work for you. Then just When you make a house rule, let your players know and tell them
draw up your map on the grid and you’re good to go. why. That way everyone knows what’s changed and what’s going
Miniatures: Playing with miniatures representing your on. And, if another problem arises in the future based off your
characters can really bring the action to life. Miniatures are small house rule, you know how to address it.
metal or plastic figurines, normally about an inch or two tall, and
fitted to work perfectly within 1-inch squares. If you don’t have
any miniatures on hand, pretty much anything will do. A player
can use a ring from their finger, a quarter from their pocket, or
a very small picture of their character as a representation on the
board.
You can also use dice, but we recommend that you
avoid using our beloved D12s to represent your character, since
they can mingle with the dice you’re rolling and cause confusion.
Use those other dice. You know, like the useless ones with only
six sides.
Moving Diagonally: Square grids fail to accurately
reflect diagonal movement. We recommend that, when moving
diagonally, a character consider that every two squares moved
diagonally equals three squares moved normally.
This is a simple rule but can also require a lot more
thought at the table. If you choose to ignore it, that’s fine by us.
Just choose your ruling and stick to it.
The 3rd Dimension: Moving in the third dimen-
sion, especially on a 2-dimension playing grid, can bring in a
whole slew of problems. You should probably mark the elevation
heights of different items on the map. For example, you might
note that the top of a building is “+20 feet” above the ground,
while a ditch is “-10 feet” below the ground level. If a character
is flying, you can use coins to represent how high they are (for
example, for every quarter they have under their miniature, they
are five feet above the ground).
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Chapter 11

272
Time
Downtime o
More than almost anything else, Tephra is designed to keep the
pacing of the story in the hands of the narrator. You can have a
fast-paced adventure full of chases, epic fight scenes, and dan- Downtime is most easily defined as any length of time in which
gerous missions all in the course of a single day in Tephra. Or the characters are not actively partaking in adventure or roleplay-
your adventure can span numerous weeks, taking time to play ing. You can often identify downtime as those periods of travel or
out. The rules should never hinder your choice of pace. rest when the adventurers just spend a couple weeks in town, or

Breathers o
are taking an airship ride to a nearby city. That’s downtime.
You should feel free to offer as much or little downtime as
Breathers are small spurts of time when the adventurers can rest your plot requires. During downtime, characters can completely
up, repair some basic gear problems, and tend to their wounds. restock themselves, rebuild their constructions, and handle other
It’s typically fifteen to thirty minutes, but you can adjust the off-screen affairs. So if one of the adventurers is an alchemist
length of a breather to fit the speed of your game. and he’s getting low on potions, it might be time to have some
If you want to wear down your players a bit, involve them downtime.
in a chase scene or multiple fights where time is of the essence. Partial Downtime: You can always choose to give
If you have a ticking bomb, the adventurers won’t have time for a partial downtime. Let’s say, for instance, that a party is delving
breather to recuperate their hit points and fix their gear. through a mad scientist’s laboratory. They’re pretty deep in, and
If you find that your heroes are getting dangerously they’ve just found the scientist’s chemical set. So they want to
close to dying, let them have a few minutes of breathing space. hang out and see if they can replenish some of their potions.
If you want to keep the pace going, you can even say they have You can opt to give them partial downtime and let them craft a
a breather while walking down the hallway from one fight to the fraction of their potions. (You could say half, you could say 2, or
next. Just let them know they’ve had a breather and restored their you could say whatever number you feel like granting them.) You
hit points: they’ll thank you for it. can also rule that they don’t have the requisite supplies to make
their potions, so that will cut into their potential stock. You have
control over how much time they have to restock during partial
downtime.
Number of Fights between Downtimes: When
you have characters who use expendables during a fight (such as
alchemic potions or explosives) or find that your adventurers’ gear
is being broken, you might decide it’s time for downtime. The
exact number of fights your adventurers might partake in be-
tween downtime varies greatly, but typically you can fit 3-5 fights
between a single downtime before the players start to feel very
strained. It can also be a great learning experience for people
who use expendables, since they won’t be able to replenish their
supplies until their next downtime. Feel it out - when your ad-
venturers are out of supplies and gear, downtime might be favor-
able. However, a fight with sparce resources can be a great fight
indeed.

Narrating
Chapter 11

273
 The Steampunk
World
Levels of Power o c You Own Tephra c
Sometimes it can be difficult to grasp just how powerful your ad-
venturers are, or just how world-changing your adversaries might Tephra is a setting that we’ve designed for you to adventure
be. in, for you to create sagas and stories of your own within. The
The Average Citizen: The average citizen will be, at world is designed to be rich and full of innovative adventures,
most, a first level character. Most people who would be willing to and we will be releasing more and more information to fill this
engage in a barfight will be first level. Most police officers will be world, more ideas for you to steal and use in your game.
first level. Often times, a farmer, factory worker, or other normal But, ultimately, when you’re playing in Tephra, you
citizen will be a developing character - that is, below first level. own it. Tephra is what you make of it. If you decide that, for
From Normal to Epic: As your adventurers rise in your saga, all gnomes are idiot savants and all of the Izedans
power, they’re quickly going to start outmatching normal citi- were wiped out by a horrible plague, that’s entirely up to you.
zens, move beyond the scope of the town militia, and, in time, And, even more so, you can feel free to change the details. If, in
becoming the elites of a nation. some adventure, we say that there’s a pub in Aldamiir that gives
away free ale on Thursdays, you can say that the pub doesn’t
The power of your characters can be easily defined exist in your Tephra.
based on how many action points they have. You might run into a player or two that assumes cer-
Levels AP Power Level tain aspects of Tephra are there. But while you’re the narrator,
the setting is yours. Just let them know that those locations,
1-3 3 In the earlier levels, your adventurers are start- events, or people don’t exist like they do in canon Tephra.
ing off as average citizens and moving up to Own the world. It was made for you.
well-regarded warriors and crafters. By third
level, an adventurer will be able to outmatch
Beginning a Saga at Higher Levels o
most people in a city.
4-7 4 Once 4 action points are achieved, an adven-
turer starts becoming some of the best in their Sometimes you’ll want to start a saga at a different level from level
field. The agile characters can jump as far as 1. You might envision a game that runs the heroes from level 5
the greatest of athletes, and the inventors are (where they’re gaining quite the reputation) until they hit level 8
crafting new technology with the best of them. (when they start to feel legendary). Perhaps you just want to run
By 7th level, adventurers will be on par with the a game full of astonishing 12th level adventurers, almost unparal-
best warriors in a nation or the best scientists leled in the world.
of their generation. Higher level games can be both exciting and action-
packed. When you skip the earlier levels, you are potentially skip-
8-11 5 From 8th level and on, the adventurers are hit- ping some solid character development and moving past the time
ting a whole new realm of experience. They when the adventurers feel quite mortal. But when you want to run
have moved beyond the concepts of human
Narrating

an instantly heroic game, skipping those earlier levels might be

Chapter 11

ability. They are bordering on legendary and exactly what you need.
they can single-handedly take on numerous
opponents. We’ve listed the starting princes for characters begin-
ning over first level in chapter 2: Character Creation. They are
12+ 6 Attaining 12th level makes the adventurer one our recommended amounts of princes a character of that level
of the greatest people to ever live. The scope would have acquired, and they may spend them before play to
of their power and skill can barely even be buy goods at market value. You, as the narrator, might award
imagined by people. Their abilities far out- more or less starting gold to reflect the type of story you want to
match that of most world-reknowned warriors, tell. And remember: a group of high level impoverished heroes
and their inventions are incomprehensible. can be just as exciting (sometimes more so) than a group of high
level wealthy adventurers.

274
 Classism, Racism, Sexism, & Mechanicism
Prejudice can be a useful tool for spicing up a setting. While a terrible reality most societies face, it can easily add tension between
characters when they interact. Technophobia is an interesting prejudice for a steampunk setting. Whether you introduce a character
who scorns technology as a whole or one who denies the humanity of an artificial intelligence, fighting against the advancement of
technology can be a fascinating goal in a world where technology is so prevalent. That being said, too much of anything is a bad
thing. A party of Paldoran Exiles unable to eat or find shelter because an entire Evanglessian town has rallied against them could
be considered excessive.

Designing your own Setting o

Medicines (both necessary & otherwise): Instead
of sending their patients to pharmacists, doctors keep medicinal
We won’t force you to use the world of Tephra when playing the alchemists on hand to cure most ailments. As such, disease is
Clockwork System. One of its strongest aspects is its ability to rarely an issue for anyone with enough money for medical bills.
be adapted to anything you can imagine. Does your world have Every so often an illness or injury renders a patient incurable
teleportation? Reflavor the ‘Phase Step’ specialty under Agility as through normal means, which causes many to take their chanc-
literally disappearing and reappearing somewhere else. Want a es with illegal essence manipulation to rewrite their bodies to a
more modern setting? Turn super-heavy armor into bullet-proof younger, uninjured state. Others take the same chances for cos-
riot gear. Summoning demons more your style? A quick trip to metic reasons. Prosthetics are becoming increasingly popular,
Automata will allow you to create your own otherworldly part- particularly in the industrial sector. While the surgery is impos-
ners-in-crime. sibly expensive on a factory worker’s salary, a hydraulic-powered
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when de- arm can greatly increase productivity. Some more successful in-
signing your own setting. What time period does it take place dustries will pay for building prosthetics onto their most loyal
in? Does it take place on an alternate history Earth or a different employees, although there has been sporatic public outcry about
planet? What types of species or races are available? When adapt- the safety and morality of such practices.
ing Tephra to your setting, what parts of the system are unavail- Commonality of Super-Science: Automatons, espe-
able in your world? Are their robots? If not, automaton crafting cially ones able to think for themselves, are incredibly rare. Non-
should probably not be a skill your players can use. mechanical laborers’ salaries still outweigh the cost of maintain-

Technology o
ing and fueling robotic workers in the absence of a dedicated
crafter or mechanic, which most settlements won’t have. Bio-
fluxxed townspeople are equally rare. Having essence manipu-
The technology of a steampunk world can be one of the hard- lations aren’t illegal, and neither is gathering essence from wild
est aspects to grasp, especially for players coming from either a animals, but many people will still stop and stare at someone with
fantasy or real-world background. Don’t feel too locked in to any scales covering their skin. While prosthetics are more accepted,
sort of technological realism (this is steampunk, after all!). If you they still are not considered an attractive trait.
say that something exists, it does. If you say something hasn’t
been invented yet, that’s fine too. It’s your world. That said, here
are our recommendations for the technological level of Tephra,
explaining some concepts that a lot of people new to steampunk
might not be familiar with.
Methods of Communication: Radio, both short
and long distance, is the most common form of communication,
which has led many on both sides of the law to learn how to lis-
ten in to hidden frequencies to get the jump on their unsuspect-
ing enemies. Telegrams are sent using simple codes (much like
Morse Code). Local post offices are the easiest places to send out
bulletins, whether it be through a letter or a radio broadcast.
Methods of Transportation: While personal ve-
Narrating
hicles are on the rise, their relatively high market price keeps the Chapter 11
average citizen from purchasing them. In addition, since most
laborers work within walking distance of their homes the price
of fuel far outweighs any convenience. Because of this, it is in-
credibly rare to see parking for more than a handful of vehicles
outside of any establishments. Even those with personal vehicles
still use trains when travelling long distances, although the higher
classes have begun using airship ferries. People still commonly
use mounted animals, though the practice is much more common
in rural areas, as stagecoaches and steam-driven vehicles rule ur-
ban areas.

275
 Adversaries
Building adversaries is typically no different from building char-
acters. Do you need a thug? Just create a character that has some
specialties from frenzy, brawl, marksmanship, or whatever fits
c Character Death c
that particular thug. Unfortunately, sometimes an adventurer dies. It’s a career haz-
Sometimes you’ll want to tweak an adversary to fit out- ard. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the player’s game.
side the rules. Let’s say the adventurers are about to fight off a When a character dies, you have a ton of options as to how to
sniper who has a blessed eye that ensures all of his shots hit. progress.
There aren’t any specialties for that (and it certainly wouldn’t be Recreated: In a world of crazy science and bio-en-
balanced for adventurers to have), but you could say that the ad- gineering, “death” might be as problematic as having a cold.
versary has a +8 to accuracy when determing if he hit. There If an adventurer is well-connected or is an important part of
aren’t any specialties that do that, but you can adjust the rules as a quest, an organization or cult might recreate the adventurer.
you see fit in order to make an adversary work like you want. Now, he might be brought back in an automaton body with
Judging Appropriate Challenges: One of the most unusual bio-engineered augments, or through an unknown
difficult aspects of creating good fights is making sure that they religious ritual, but it’s definitely possible that he could be re-
are both challenging without being impossible. The most basic turned to the land of the living.
goal of most fights will be to get 1 or 2 characters into wounds, New Character: Sometimes death is truly the final
which is just enough to make the characters feel threatened. If the frontier for an adventurer and the perfect time for a player to
adventurers are getting into fatals too often, you should weaken bring in somebody new. Just have them create a new character
your opponents a bit. Likewise, if the players never see wounds, and find a way to fit into the current party.
you should up the adversaries’ levels or add more enemies. The biggest problem is creating a new character that
If the group of adventurers are fending off a single op- meshes with the rest of the adventurers. Challenge the player
ponent, remember that it’s a group fighting one adversary. He’s to build a character that works within the saga and will easily
going to need to be 3-6 levels higher than the party in order to be mesh with the current party. Try to find a fluid reason for the
challenging. One of the easiest rules to remember when desig- new adventurer to join the group, else things might be awk-
ing an adversary is to set him “one action point higher” than the ward for a while.
party. So if you have a group of adventurers with 3 AP each, make When you go to build a new character, you can have
sure your main adversaries have at least 4 action points. them start off as the lowest level of any member of the party,
On-the-Spot Adjustments: Even the best designed somewhere in the middle, or at the exact level of the deceased
villain sometimes needs to be adjusted on the spot. Always feel character.
free to adjust adversaries during the combat to make the fight Sharing the Wealth: When an adventurer dies, it’s
more exciting. Have the adventurers just gone through the adver- typical for parties to split their wealth. A clever player, however,
sary’s hit points like they were a bad joke? Just up his hit points. might note that the deceased adventurer had a Last Will and
Is he missing too often? Give him a slight bonus to his accuracy. Testament on him, which bequests all of his gear on to a cer-
Be careful when doing this, as your players might call tain character or his family. This could also be the perfect way
you out on it and feel cheated. As long as your adjustments are for of introducing a new adventurer; if the deceased character’s
the betterment of the fight scene, though, they’ll understand. will states that he leaves all of his gear to Arther Cadverius,

Rolling for Enemies o

who will replace him in the event of his death, you instantly
have a way of working the new character into the party.
When you roll for an adversary, you can choose to either do it
out in the open (where the players can see) or in secrecy, either
Narrating
Chapter 11

behind a screen or in a box.

Generally, adversaries should not re-roll pure 12s. A pure
12 is a chance to do something heroic and amazing, and it almost
guarantees Tier 3 or Tier 4 success. While it can be really fun for
an unnamed enemy sniper to suddenly get a lucky shot, a beloved
adventurer dying from a lucky die roll against an unnamed and
unimportant enemy is terribly anti-climactic and a bit of a let-
down.
Important villains can re-roll pure 12s since they are of
the same importance to the story as the adventurers. It makes
them that much more exciting and frightening to fight.
While we don’t encourage re-rolling pure 12s for most
adversaries, go ahead and have them keep 1s as 1s.

276
Rewards
Treasure & Payments o
Sometimes, you’ll want to keep adventurers at a certain
level for a while, so you could give them 1 or 2 experience points
Nothing’s better than completing an adventure and raiding the per session. On the other hand, you might want to see your ad-
dead of all of their earthly possessions. While society may not venturers at a higher level and faster, so you give them 7 or more
appreciate the blatant looting of corpses, that’s probably not go- experience per session early on in the saga, then slow down expe-
ing to stop your adventurers from plundering the dead. Reward- rience gains once they start reaching the levels you want to play
ing adventurers with treasure and payment for their deeds is an in.
important part of being an adventurer or mercenary. If you’re giving out a slim amount of experience for
When adventurers take on a paid mission, try to plan a specific reason, but the players feel like they’re not getting
your payment based on their level. Are the adventurers just first enough for the amount of work that they’re doing, let them know
level? Well, 5-10 princes would be a solid payment. If they’re fifth why. Most players will be perfectly fine hearing from you that you
level, 50 princes each would be pretty standard. Take a look at the want to keep them at level X for a little while, so you’ve slowed
“starting princes per level” chart in the Chapter 2 - Character down the experience gain.
Creation. That will give you a pretty solid indicator of how many And remember, if they don’t feel like they’re getting
princes they should gain per level. Feel free to go a bit higher than enough rewards from their adventuring, you can always give them
that chart indicates - it assumes that players will be using items more stories and treasures to make up for it!

Awarding Stories o
(such as explosives and alchemic potions) and those little things
can add up quickly.
Adventurers will typically steal any items they can off As adventurers progress and their exploits become things of leg-
dead bodies, so keep that in mind when giving items to your ad- end, they’ll gain stories that you can award them. Pre-written ad-
versaries. If you don’t want the adventurers to have a Marque IV ventures will include a variety of stories they might earn during
accurate, chainsawing, lightning sword, you probably shouldn’t the adventure, but you can always make up your own.
let the villain die with one on him. (Now, if the villain suddenly
explodes right after he dies, that might solve that problem.) If the adventurers save a town from a doomsday device
Selling Treasure for Princes: Treasure can al- set to make the local volcano go off, you could make up a story
ways be sold to vendors after an adventure. Most vendors will called “Saviors of Hollisburg.” Now all of the adventurers that
buy things off the adventurers for a quarter to half the price of received that story are well known for the saving the town of Hol-
the item, though a well-used item might sell for even less. Let the lisburg, and the people of Hollisburg treat them with kindness
adventurers barter a bit if they feel like they’re being jipped - just and reverance.
don’t let them jip the vendor! If one of your adventurers challenges a well known

Awarding Experience o
swordsman to a duel and wins, they might earn the story “Van-
quisher of Sir Wellington.” That story might come with two
prongs - enemies of Sir Wellington would celebrate and respect
From one level to the next, a character needs 12 experience points. the adventurer, while the friends of Sir Wellington might collabo-
Just like the turning of a clock, a character goes from noon to rate for vengeance.
midnight, and, at the stroke of midnight, gains a new level. Stories work well as titles, scars, and small things that
How quickly you hand out experience points determines a player can be proud of. If an adventurer can say, “I am Arther
how quickly character level up and gain in power. The more ex- Cadvarius, Savior of Hollisburg, Vanquisher of Sir Wellington,”
perience that you give to your characters per session, the sooner that’s going to make the character instantly come to life and have
that they are going to be nearing the top levels and the pinnacle a great background.
of their power.
Narrating
Chapter 11
Typically, awarding 1 experience point per contentious
situation will serve you well. If the adventurers get into a tavern
brawl, that’s an experience point. If they figure out a puzzle to
keep the church from exploding, that’s an experience point. If
they talk their way past the guards to get in and see the local
baron, that’s an experience point.
At the end of a session (4-6 hours of play), most narra-
tors will hand out 3-4 experience points.
Leveling Speed: If you’d like, you can think of experi-
ence in terms of leveling speed. If you want your adventurers to
level up every 3 sessions, give them 4 experience points per ses-
sion. If you want them to level up every 4 sessions, give them 3
experience per session. You can speed this up or slow it down at
your discretion.

277
 Appendices
Appendices

278
Specialty Listings
Brawl (brute) Soulless Blade Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Walking Destruction Strike +3, Speed +5, Hit Points +10
Block with a Grab Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +10
Dirty Fighting Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9 Bloodlust Specialties
Drunken Boxing Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Berserker Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +12
Fisticuffs Strike +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +10 Bloodlust Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Fluid Evade +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +7 Unquenchable Thirst Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +11
Grapple Accuracy +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +10 Masochistic Specialties
Heavy-Handed Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +9 Laugh Like You’re Crazy Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +10
Hold Steady Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +10 Marriage to Suffering Strike +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +11
Knock Aside Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Seize Your Suffering Strike +2, Wounds +2, Hit Points +11
Monkey Wrestler Accuracy +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +10
Reversal Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +10 Overpower (brute)
Shrug Away Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +10 Brickbreaker Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +10
Throat Jab Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +11 Dragging Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +11
Bone-Breaking Specialties Follow-Through Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Bone-Breaker Strike +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +11 Heavy Hitter Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +9
Crippling Blow Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +9 Keep Them Down Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +11
Combo Specialties Monstrous Attacks Strike +3, Defense +1, Hit Points +10
Combo Flow Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 No Quarter Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +11
Combo Opener Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 One-Handing It Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Combo Breaker Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Robust Toss Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +11
Finisher Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +9 Shield Whack Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Grip Specialties Solid Assault Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +11
Crushing Grip Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +10 Stunning Blow Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Twist Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Titanic Strength Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8
With Gusto Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +10
Frenzy (brute) Armor-Breaking Specialties
Chipping Away Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Adrenaline Surge Evade +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +14
Armor Sunder Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Backlash Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +11
Burning Revenge Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +11 Earth-Shattering Specialties
Carry Through Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Earthquaking Strike Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +11
Crimson Weapon Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +10 Rampant Destruction Strike +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +11
Appendices

Fray Fighter Evade +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Push Away Specialties
Hundred Strikes Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Staggering Strike Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Liberator Evade +2, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Bullrush Strike +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +11
Merciless Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Neverending Bloodbath Strike +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +11 Resilience (brute)
No Escape Strike +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +10 Blast Proof Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +14
Raging Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +9 Body of Steel Defense +3, Wounds +1, Hit Points +14
Straining Blow Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +13 Brace for Impact Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +15

279
 Bulwark Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +13 Disorienting Specialties
Interposition Defense +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +13 Distracting Attack Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7
Metal Embrace Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +15 Taking Advantage Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Never Off-Guard Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +17 Brain-Blowing Attack Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Press Strike +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +11
Protector Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +14 Expertise (cunning)
Resolute Defense +1, Wounds +1, Hit Points +13
Appraisal Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Second Skin Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +14
Concentrated Focus Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +10
Solid Stances Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +13
Deep Breath Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8
Thick Skin Defense +3, Wounds +1, Hit Points +11
Demoman Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8
Tough Stuff Defense +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +19
Efficiency Expert Priority +3, DIY +3, Hit Points +8
Unassailable Mountain Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +12
Fire Fighter Defense +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +12
Walking Fortress Defense +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +13
Hurl Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +9
Ward Strike +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +11
Improv Fighter Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Armored Movement Specialties
Mechanic Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +8
Armored Ease Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +12
Patch the Bleeding Defense +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +11
Armored Freedom Defense +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +14
Observance Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Barrier Specialties Weak Point Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Living Barrier Defense +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +12
Trick Counter Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Living Wall Defense +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +14
Anti-Poison Specialties
Living Stronghold Defense +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +15
Poison Finder Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +11
Remove Poison Defense +3, Priority +2, Hit Points +10
Espionage (cunning) Combat Insights Specialties
Destabilizing Strike Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7 Combat Insights Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +11
Feign Fatal Wounds Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +7 Combat Analytics Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +10
First Strike Accuracy +1, Priority +4, Hit Points +5 Item Appropriation Specialties
Flowing Shadow Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6 Weapon Appropriations Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Heartseeker Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +6 Quality Weapon Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Invisible Blade Accuracy +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +7 Surgery Specialties
Master Lockpick Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7 Field Surgeon Priority +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Pierce the Darkness Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7 First Aid Defense +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +9
Silent Kill Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +6 Self-Surgery Priority +3, Wounds +1, Hit Points +9
Sinister Strike Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Nightwalker Specialties
Showmanship (cunning)
Fighting Blind Accuracy +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +6
Blindside Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8
Deep Blind Senses Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6
Captive Audience Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Cover User Specialties
Catchphrase Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Cover Expert Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +5
Appendices

Chime In Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8

Contort Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +6
Conveyor Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +9
Critical Specialties
Deafening Roar Strike +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Critical Hits Accuracy +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +5
Distract Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7
Hairsplitter Accuracy +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +5
Jester Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Pinpoint Shot Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6
Marionette Strings Accuracy +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +6
Dirt in the Eyes Specialties Praise Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Dirt in the Eyes Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7
Sleight of Hand Evade +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +6
Blind & Swing Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +6

280
Smoke & Mirrors Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7 Co-Pilot Accuracy +1, Evade +3, Hit Points +8
Throw Off Balance Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8 Crash Maneuver Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +9
Unmarred Perfection Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8 Denial Maneuver Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7
Choreographed Specialties Driving with Knees Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Epic Dance Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6 Flying Fortress Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +7
Never Stop the Dance Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9 Hold Together Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +8
Epic Music Specialties Horseman’s Cut Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Battle Theme Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Hostile Maneuvers Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Heavenly Serenade Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8 Level Flying Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8
Spotlight Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Quick-Mount Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6
Unified Chorus Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +10 Vehicular Teamwork Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +10
Victory Theme Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9 Auto Piloting Specialties
Smokescreen Specialties Strafe Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Smokescreen Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Evasive Strafe Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +7
Walking Darkness Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +7 Clanker Piloting Specialties
Extension of Self Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Tactical (cunning) Piston-Spring Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Focusing Flying Specialties
Ally of the Machine Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Focused Flying Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +8
Armistice Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6
Fine-Tuned Flying Defense +3, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Blitzkreig Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Fully Focused Flying Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Call in a Favor Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Change Formation Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Mounted Cavalry Specialties
Fearless Mount Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8
Change Places Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +6
One with the Beast Strike +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Crippling Formation Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7
Crossfire Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Ramming Specialties
Forewarned Accuracy +1, Priority +4, Hit Points +6 Ram Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Focused Support Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +6 Puncture Accuracy +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +9
Lead the March Speed +5, Priority +2, Hit Points +6
Malleable Formation Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +7 Agility (dexterity)
Master Tactician Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Battlefield Flow Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Stand-Off Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +6 Bounding Lunge Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +7
Encouraging Specialties Charging Ram Strike +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +6
Encouragement Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +6 Free Movement Priority +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +6
Inspiring Words Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8 Groundfighting Evade +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Flow of Battle Specialties Instant Draw Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7
Direct the Battle Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Slow Falling Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +6
Concentrated Barrage Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7 Side-Swipe Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Overwhelm Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Slipstreaming Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Appendices

Order Specialties Snake Bite Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7
Issue Orders Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Step Back Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Complex Orders Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Terrain Mastery Priority +4, Speed +5, Hit Points +9
Improved Orders Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Wall Runner Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Walk Over Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +7
Ace (dexterity) Explosion Dodging Specialties
Blast Dodger Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Backseat Driver Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Soaring Dodge Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +9

281
 Phasing Specialties En-Garde Specialties
Phase Step Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +7 En-Garde Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Fleeting Shade Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +6 Find the Gap Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Leave No Trace Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +6 Lightning Slash Accuracy +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +8
Stance-Shifting Specialties Flickering Specialties
Shifting Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Flickering Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Freeform Shifting Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Torrent of Steel Accuracy +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Footwork Specialties
Marksmanship (dexterity) Footwork Training Priority +3, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Fancy Footwork Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +9
Aim Accuracy +2, Evade +1, Hit Points +5
Cover Fire Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +6 Parry & Riposte Specialties
Follow Up Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Parry Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Head Popper Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Beat Parry Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +9
Itchy Trigger Finger Evade +2, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Distance Parry Accuracy +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Knock-Off Accuracy +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +6 Experienced Parries Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8
Lockdown Gunner Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Riposte Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Long Shot Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7
Penetrating Shot Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Faith (spirit)
Point Blank Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Blind Faith Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8
Seeker Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7 Conviction Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8
Snap Reload Accuracy +1, Priority +4, Hit Points +6 Divine Guidance Strike +2, Defense +2, Hit Points +9
Sneaky Seconds Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Flowing Vigor Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9
Stable Shot Accuracy +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +8 Grief & Hope Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8
Turret Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +5 Healing Halo Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Warning Shot Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7 Infallible Faith Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +8
Wing Clipping Accuracy +2, Evade +1, Hit Points +6 Moral Support Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Archery Specialties Prayer Accuracy +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9
Arching Shot Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7 Purify Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8
Efficient Ranger Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7 Shock of Life Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +11
Flight of Arrows Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8 AP Sacrifice Upgrade Specialties
Bleeding Arrow Specialties Devoted Peers Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Flesh Biter Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7 Self-Sacrifice Evade +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Flesh Piercing Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +6 Silent Devotion Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7
Champion Specialties
Swashbuckling (dexterity) Appointed Champion Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9
Adaptable Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Conduit of Faith Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Circle Attack Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Inquisition Specialties
Appendices

Counter-Stance Accuracy +2, Strike +1, Hit Points +6 Proclaim the Heretic Evade +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Efficient Strike Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8 Light in the Dark Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Fight Anywhere Evade +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +6 Smiting Specialties
Hilt Bash Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Smite Accuracy +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +8
Opening Accuracy +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +6 Assured Success Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6
Precise Attack Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Impassioned Victory Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +7
Saluted Opponent Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6 Smiting Shot Accuracy +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8
Sword and Board Accuracy +1, Evade +1 , Hit Points +8 Zealous Smite Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7
Wild Slash Strike +2, Priority +3, Hit Points +8

282
Grace (spirit) Second Chance Evade +1, Wounds +1, Hit Points +10

Bloodsoak Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9 Lucky #7 Specialties

Connection Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +7 Lucky Number 7 Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +6
Danger Sense Evade +1, Priority +5, Hit Points +9 Luckier Number 7 Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Destabilize Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Ranged Evading Specialties
Dispel Pain Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +9 Feeling Lucky Evade +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6
Force of Self Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Unfriendly Fire Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +5
Inner Calm Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +10 Unfriendly Artillery Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Iron Palm Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10
Master of Forms Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Shamanism (spirit)
Parting Waves Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +8 Control Beast Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Shocking Soul Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Druidic Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8
Spirit Break Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Fire Resistance Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +10
Spiritual Seal Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9 Geomancer Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Void Strike Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +10 Hardened Trainer Accuracy +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Ki-Unleashing Specialties Lion’s Roar Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +9
Ki Flow Evade +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +10 Naturalist Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9
Ki Rage Evade +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Parasite Strike +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Light-as-Air Specialties Still as Stone Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6
Feather in the Wind Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +6 Tactics of the Wolf Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8
Weightless Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 Topographer Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Paralyzing Specialties Bird Calling Specialties
Touch of Paralysis Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +7 Avian Wrath Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Blocked Ki Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +8 Blacken the Sky Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Pitch Black Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Luck (spirit) Chemical Immunity Specialties
Confident in your Luck Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Venom Immunity Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +10
Don’t Tell Me the Odds Evade +2, Priority +2, Hit Points +6 Alchemical Resistance Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +9
Cheat Fate Accuracy +2, Evade +1, Hit Points +6 Protective Swarm Specialties
Equalizing Force Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6 Protect the Monarch Defense +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +9
Hex Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +7 Devoted Drones Defense +3, Priority +1, Hit Points +10
Jackpot Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +8 Hive Exodus Defense +2, Speed +5, Hit Points +7
Jinx Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9 Swarming Insect Specialties
Roll of the Dice Accuracy +1, Evade +2, Hit Points +8 Colony of One Accuracy +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +8
Roulette Accuracy +2, Priority +1, Hit Points +6 Drag Down Accuracy +1, Strike +1, Hit Points +8
Spot of Misfortune Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7 Hive Mind Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Failure Avoidance Specialties Pressure Cooker Accuracy +1, Strike +2, Hit Points +9
Appendices
Free from Failure Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +7
Steady Friends Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8 General Science Specialties
Foul Luck Specialties Learn Augments Augments +4, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Curse Evade +1, Defense +2, Hit Points +9 Nothing up my Sleeve Accuracy +1, Augments +2, Hit Points +4
Fumble Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +8
Luck Holder Specialties Alchemy (sciences)
Ace Up My Sleeve Evade +1, Priority +2, Hit Points +6
Leading the Lucky Life Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +9
Immunity Specialties
Self-Made Immunity Defense +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +8

283
 Immunizations Defense +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +6 Crafting Armor
On-the-Fly Specialties Armor Smith Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
On-the-Fly Brewer Evade +1, Augments +2, Hit Points +4 Beta Armor Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Expiration Evade +1, Augments +2, Hit Points +4 Prototype Armor Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Herbalist Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Rapid Mixer Evade +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +5 Automata (sciences)
Walking Chemical Plant Evade +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +5
Automaton Repairs Defense +2, Augments +2, Hit Points +7
Crafting Acids Interchangeable Parts Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Acid Brewer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Crafting Steamers
Beta Acids Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Steam-Powered Crafter Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Prototype Acids Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Beta Boilers Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Crafting Gases Prototype Boilers Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Gas Brewer Augments +2, DIY +1, Augments +4
Steamer Operator Specialties
Beta Gases Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Steamer Operator Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6
Prototype Gases Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Steam Poser Evade +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +7
Crafting Medicines Steam Specialist Accuracy +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +6
Medicine Brewer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Crafting Fuse Boxes
Beta Medicines Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Fuse Box Builder Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Prototype Medicines Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +7
Advanced Brainworks Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Crafting Poisons Epic Brainworks Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Poison Brewer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Heroic Brainworks Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Beta Poisons Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Personality Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Prototype Poisons Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Crafting Clockworks
Clockwork Crafter Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Armsmith (sciences) Advanced Analytics Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Belt Feeder Evade +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +7 Crafting Prosthetics
Interchangeable Parts Priority +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +5 Prosthetician Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Rapid Replacements Evade +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6 Beta Prosthetics Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Temporary Attachments Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5 Prototype Prosthetics Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +7
Weapon Support Accuracy +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +6 Automata Tinkerer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Crafting Firearms & Crossbows Automata Upgrader Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Gunsmith Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4 Nerve Crafting Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +7
Beta Firearms Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4 Sensory Builder Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +7
Prototype Firearms Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Crossbow Craftsman Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4 Bio-Flux (sciences)
Beta Crossbows Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Invigoration Specialties
Prototype Crossbows Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Bio-Invigoration Evade +1, Defense +3, Hit Points +8
Appendices

Crafting Melee Weapons & Throwing Weapons

Bio-Invigoration Expert Evade +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +9
Weapon Smith Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Quickshot Bio-Invigoration Evade +1, Speed +5, Hit Points +8
Beta Weapons Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Bio-Invigoration Expert Evade +1, Wounds +1, Hit Points +11
Prototype Weapons Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Self-Administer Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +11
Interchangeable Parts Priority +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +5
Essence Manipulation
Crafting Bows
Manipulate Essence Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Bowyer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Beta Essence Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Beta Bows Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Prototype Essence Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Prototype Bows Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +4

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Fast Manipulation Evade +1, Augments +2, Hit Points +7 Crafting Eyewear
Body Renewal Defense +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +9 Optician Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Gene Therapy Augments +2, Wounds +1, Hit Points +9 Beta Eyewear Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Crafting Bio-Zappers Prototype Eyewear Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Bio-Zapper Developer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4 Crafting Trinkets
Beta Bio-Zappers Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4 Trinket Crafter Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Prototype Bio-Zappers Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Concentrated Steam Accuracy +1, Augments +2, Hit Points +6
Extra Settings Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Multi-Ray Accuracy +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +6
Splicer Accuracy +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +6
Tracing Accuracy +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +7

Engineer (sciences)
Maintenance Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Power Surge Augments +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +6
Quick Upgrades Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Vehicle Repairs Defense +2, Augments +1, Hit Points +7
Grease Monkey Specialties
Gearhead Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Gearjunkie Augments +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +6
Crafting Vehicles
Auto-Wright Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Beta Autos Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Prototype Autos Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Manual-Wright Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Beta Clankers Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Prototype Clankers Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Armoring Vehicles
Vehicle Armorer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Beta Armoring Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Prototype Armoring Augments +1, DIY +1, Hit Points +7

Gadgetry (sciences)
Beta Hacker Evade +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +8
Dud Accuracy +1, Evade +1, Hit Points +7
Item Breaker Accuracy +1, Strike +3, Hit Points +9
Appendices
Reverse Engineer Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Saboteur Accuracy +1, Priority +3, Hit Points +8
Improvised Improvements Evade +1, Augments +1, Hit Points +7
Crafting Explosives
Pyrotechnician Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4
Beta Explosives Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +5
Prototype Explosives Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +6
Major Explosion Augments +2, DIY +1, Hit Points +4

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Player Name
Character Name

Race Nationality

Religion Age Height Weight

Weapon Weapon
Priority
Description AP Description

Size Type Reach Size Type Reach

Tiers AP to Use AP to Ready
AP to Use AP to Ready Speed Swim
1- 9 Speed

1
Accuracy Strike Accuracy Strike
10 - Climb
19 Speed Fly
Damage Class 2 Speed
Damage Class
Notes/Augments: 20 - Notes/Augments:
29
3
30+
4
1
2 3
4

Armor 5 Max HP

Evade 7 8
Description Wounds
Hit Points Max
Defense 9 6 10
Wounds
Size Soak
Class Wound Effects:
Evade Penalty Deflection
11 12
Speed Penalty Item
Fatal Effects:
Climb/Swim Penalty
Evade Bonus
Notes/Augments:
vs Ranged vs Melee Status Effects:

Alchemy Bio-Flux
Armsmith Engineer
Automata Gadgetry
Espionage
Misc Science Ace
Expertise Misc Misc
Agility
Showmanship Marksmanship
Tactical Cunning 6 7 Dexterity Swashbuckling
5 8
Brawl
4 9 Faith
Frenzy 3 10 Grace
Misc Misc
Overpower 11 Luck
2
Resilience Brute Level
Spirit Shamanism
1 12
 Character Name

A
A

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Hi
D
cc

W IY

tP s
ef

Pr
Ev

Sp

ou
ur

St

en

io

oi
Specialties

ad

en
e
ac

rik

nd
D
rit

nt
se

ts
e

y
y

s
Totals
Lvl Misc
1
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Stories:

Money Money
on-hand Racial Traits: in bank

Gear Augments Notes

 Playtesting Character Creation In Brief
You can find a full explanation of character creation in the “Mak-
ing a Character” chapter, starting on page 24. If you just need a

Credits
reminder, however, here are all of the necessary steps.
1 - Race & Nationality c
Choose your race and nationality. You receive the racial traits for
it, and then roll on the random racial traits chart.
We’d like to give thanks to all of our playtesters, who’s
countless contributions have humbled us and made this 2 - Skills c
product into what it is today. Thank you, all. You may place 3 points in one skill, 2 points in two skills, and 1
point in 3 skills. These should be in 6 separate skills - they don’t
Epic Playtesting Groups stack on top of each other.
C.R.E.E.P.s: John Baird, Jim Cook, Da’Rel Johnson, Adele 3 - Attributes c
Spears, & Nyl Steward Add up the skills under the attribute in order to determine the
The Fraternity of Rather Ordinary Gentlemen: Bran- attribute bonus.
dynne C., Travis Francis, Ryan K., Adam L., Justin L., &
Raymond T. 4 - Specialties c
Choose three specialties. They must come from skills that you
Knights of the Geared Table: Lazaro “Sado” Sanchez Ale- have placed points in to, unless they are general specialties. Re-
man, Alexander Brown, Alec Davis, Ty Davis, Erik Heaton, member to write down your combat statistics derived from those
Cody “Mister C” Lippard, Harley Jacob Schmalz, Xavier specialties.
Spence, & Joey Whalen
Loth-Smurfs: Adam, Carlos, David, Dillon, Gus, Michel, 5 - Augments c
Reed, & Rene If you received any augments from your specialties, choose your
Lubbock Nuts & Bolts: Tracey Glass, Kathleen Rose Har- augments.
vill, Steven Lightfoot, Chris Province, Cade Schlaefli, &
Matthew Webster
6 - Weapons & Armor c
Choose your weapons and armor.
North Austin Tephra: Nathan “Maddigan” Doughty, Nik-
ki Gee, Devlin Hyatt, Joseph Wenning 7 - Gear c
RRHS Games Club: Christian Bullock, Rachel David, Sky- Choose your gear. You may have any gear you want from the Start-
lar Hamm, Cody Stillman, & Adam Thompson ing Gear selection, within reason. You also receive 10 princes.
Wenches and Wrenches: Amanda Howard, Jason Moravec, 8 - Derived Statistics c
Agnes Stelmach, Brianna, & Christina Now that everything is chosen, fill in the rest of your character
sheet, including priority, speed (based on your race), and action
General Playtesters points (3 at first level).
Jaxom Aden • Ian Alloway • Alex Alston • Dayton Ames • Katy
Amicone • Krizia Aurelio • Kevin Baker • Karen Barbour • Ja- 9 - Background Stories c
son Barnett • Zach Bartel • Robb Bates • Jimmy Baumann • If your narrator is allowing you to, choose stories according to
Travis Benavides • Tim Bedard • Tristan Binkley • Zach “Quee” their guidelines. For most characters, you may choose 1 back-
Blankenship • Kelly Bernard • Danielle Braden • Justin Boyle • ground story.
Tegan Budge • Bryan Callahan• Tina Marie Callahan • William
Childs • Richard Choi • Megan Clark • Jonni Cleveland • Wade
Cook • Reed Crosby • Jake Ellis • Ken Fisher • Jason Gallardo
10 - Finishings c
• Steven Gamblin • Corbin Gault • Ben Glover • Christopher If you haven’t yet done so, choose a name, flavor your character,
Gohlke • Eric Hall • Zack Hamilton • Cameron “Sixpence” Cody give them a personality, and call it a day.
Hare • Alex Helton • Nikki Hodgins • Benjamin Huffman •
Eric Hungerford • The Crew of Airship Isabella • Jeff Johnson •
Hemmy Kanarski • Tarah Katerndahl • Nick Kice • Alex King • Trimm • Brax Troncoso • Daniel Troncosco • Baron Von Lahey •
Avery Ray Krushall • Marcus LaFrenz • Brady Langley • Chris- Jessica Vanover • Jorge J Barrera Vazquez • Pablo “Mister Sat-
Appendices

topher Ledenbach • Kelsey Lemaster • Ben Manry • Michael urday” Miguel Alberto Vazquez • Andrew Vought • Benjamin
Bradford Mac Farlane • Ramon Leon Del Mar • Gustavo Marti- Vought • Chris Weikert • Tiffany Whisenhunt • Kyle Whittemore
nez • Spencer McAdams • Sean McDaniel • Shannon McKay • • Austen Williams • Leah Williams • Stephnie Williams • Steven
Erin McLarty • Tommy Mendez • Matt Meyer • Eric Minnick Wilson • Matt Wisneski • Cory Woodley • Kikuvian Yaslana •
• Robert O’Brien • Nick Orzech • Alyssa Parsons • Anna Pham Edward V. Zepeda
• Michael Rey • Alan Rogers • Sarah Rosenman • Shaun Ross
• Jonathan Sallier • Kayla Schafer • Daniel Patrick Schumacher
• Macy Shrode • Jordan Smith • Callie Smith • Kalinda Smith •
Adam Sparks • Shane Staats • William Stapleton • Casey Steele
• Robert “Bobby” Stephens • Nathan Stracke • Alex Strom • Joe
Strom • Zachary Sweet • Phillip Tieman • Alana Torrez • David

288